On February 26, 2012, 17
year old Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old African American unarmed male was gunned
down by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman who is a bi-racial Hispanic and European
American was the neighborhood watch coordinator for the area where the shooting
took place.
According to police reports
Zimmerman was sitting in his car after returning from an errand when he
reported seeing a suspicious looking male walking through the neighborhood. In
his 911 call just before the shooting, Zimmerman had speculated that the teen
looked like he was "up to no good or he's on drugs or something." The
Sanford police dispatcher then told Zimmerman not to follow the suspect, but to
wait for police – which he disregarded. A screaming voice could be heard on
other 911 calls placed by neighbors, with some speculating those screams came
from Martin and others that they belonged to Zimmerman.
Shortly afterwards, there was an altercation, which ended with Zimmerman
fatally shooting Martin once in the chest at close range. When Sanford police arrived on the scene
seven minutes after they had been originally called, Zimmerman told them that Trayvon
Martin had attacked him and that he had shot Martin in self-defense.
According a report from the Sanford Fire Department, released on May 17,
Zimmerman had "abrasions to his forehead," "bleeding/tenderness
to his nose," and a "small laceration to the back of his head". When emergency personnel arrived at the scene Martin
had no apparent pulse, according to the fire and EMS report. Emergency
personnel attempted mouth-to-mask resuscitation and chest compressions, to no
avail. He was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m.
Many people have stated
that the encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately
avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited
the arrival of law enforcement, or conversely if he had identified himself to
Martin as a member of the neighborhood watch group the altercation would not
have occurred. Martin's defenders have portrayed Zimmerman as the aggressor,
accusing him of profiling the African-American teen. Zimmerman made a total of 11
calls to the Sanford police department between January 1, 2011 and the day the
shooting took place.
Just over two weeks after
the fatal shooting, and less than a month before an arrest was made, police in
Sanford, Florida, urged prosecutors to take George Zimmerman into custody after
arguing his killing of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree
murder. The case put a spotlight on race relations, spurring protests
nationwide and drawing prominent civil rights leaders to central Florida denouncing
the actions of Sanford police. It also raised questions about gun laws, as well
as the merits of the "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida, and similar
laws in other states that allow people to use deadly force anywhere they feel a
reasonable threat of serious injury or death.
On Tuesday, June 5th,
Zimmerman’s attorney’s decided to delay a bond motion.
"Mr. Zimmerman's
legal defense team has decided to delay filing a motion for bond," the
defense team said Tuesday on its website, GZLegalcase.com. "A hearing will
not be scheduled for a couple of weeks, and we will file a motion well in
advance of the hearing."
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