Controversial shooting case to go before grand jury
- 12 years ago
It's a case that has some in this upscale Florida community outraged. Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was walking home from a convenience store when he was shot and killed by a local man --- who in the weeks since that February evening has not been arrested.
The case goes before a grand jury next month. Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump
SOUNDBITE: ATTORNEY BENJAMIN CRUMP, REPRESENTING MARTIN'S FAMILY, SAYING:
"The family does not trust the Sanford Police Department to investigate it fairly and impartially because the previous lies they feel they've been told by the Sanford Police Department. It's sad because had they just arrested George Zimmerman, it would have silenced a lot of their concerns and questions."
Zimmerman was part of the Sanford's neighborhood watch program--- a group of concerned locals who voluntarily patrol the streets, when he first noticed Martin and called 911 to report a suspicious character.
OPERATOR: "Are you following him?"
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Yeah."
OPERATOR: "Okay, we don't need you to do that."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Okay."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "He's got his hand on his waist band. He's a black male."
OPERATOR: "How old would you say he is?"
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Late teens."
OPERATOR: "Late teens, okay."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Something is wrong with him. He's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands. I don't know what his deal is."
Within minutes, neighbors were calling police to report a struggle.
SOUNDBITE) (English) SANFORD RESIDENT, SAYING: "There's someone screaming. I just heard gunshots."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) SANFORD RESIDENT, SAYING: "There's a black guy down. It looks like he's been shot and he's dead."
Police released Zimmerman citing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law which allows the latitude to claim a killing if it is in self defense. Martin, it turned out, was unarmed.
SOUNDBITE: ATTORNEY BENJAMIN CRUMP, REPRESENTING MARTIN'S FAMILY, SAYING:
"Self-defense is a legal argument that you make in a courtroom, not an argument that you make on the side of the road to the police and get to go home, and go to bed or sleep, even. Well, it is our expectation, our hope and our belief - our prayer, and whatever word we can come up with that they will arrest George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin."
Zimmerman was no stranger to calling 911--- police say he called the emergency hotline over 40 times in recent months.
The U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the FBI have opened an investigation into the shooting and more than 577,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org, a social action website, calling for Zimmerman's arrest.
Deborah Gembara, Reuters.
The case goes before a grand jury next month. Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump
SOUNDBITE: ATTORNEY BENJAMIN CRUMP, REPRESENTING MARTIN'S FAMILY, SAYING:
"The family does not trust the Sanford Police Department to investigate it fairly and impartially because the previous lies they feel they've been told by the Sanford Police Department. It's sad because had they just arrested George Zimmerman, it would have silenced a lot of their concerns and questions."
Zimmerman was part of the Sanford's neighborhood watch program--- a group of concerned locals who voluntarily patrol the streets, when he first noticed Martin and called 911 to report a suspicious character.
OPERATOR: "Are you following him?"
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Yeah."
OPERATOR: "Okay, we don't need you to do that."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Okay."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "He's got his hand on his waist band. He's a black male."
OPERATOR: "How old would you say he is?"
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Late teens."
OPERATOR: "Late teens, okay."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SAYING: "Something is wrong with him. He's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands. I don't know what his deal is."
Within minutes, neighbors were calling police to report a struggle.
SOUNDBITE) (English) SANFORD RESIDENT, SAYING: "There's someone screaming. I just heard gunshots."
(SOUNDBITE) (English) SANFORD RESIDENT, SAYING: "There's a black guy down. It looks like he's been shot and he's dead."
Police released Zimmerman citing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law which allows the latitude to claim a killing if it is in self defense. Martin, it turned out, was unarmed.
SOUNDBITE: ATTORNEY BENJAMIN CRUMP, REPRESENTING MARTIN'S FAMILY, SAYING:
"Self-defense is a legal argument that you make in a courtroom, not an argument that you make on the side of the road to the police and get to go home, and go to bed or sleep, even. Well, it is our expectation, our hope and our belief - our prayer, and whatever word we can come up with that they will arrest George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin."
Zimmerman was no stranger to calling 911--- police say he called the emergency hotline over 40 times in recent months.
The U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the FBI have opened an investigation into the shooting and more than 577,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org, a social action website, calling for Zimmerman's arrest.
Deborah Gembara, Reuters.