New Video Released
of George Zimmerman
Reenacting the
Travon Martin Shooting
Thursday Jun 21, 2012 – by Britni Danielle
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Today, George Zimmerman’s defense team released a video of Zimmerman leading Samford, Florida police through a reenactment of the tragic events that transpired the night 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.
In the video, Zimmerman tells detectives Martin attacked him and slammed his head into the pavement several times.
“I didn’t want him to keep slamming my head on the concrete so I kind of shifted. But when I shifted my jacket came up…and it exposed my firearm. That’s when he said you are going to die tonight. He took one hand off my mouth, and slid it down my chest. I took my gun aimed it at him and fired.”
According to Zimmerman, after Martin was shot, the teen sat up and said, “You got me,” however officers on the scene said Martin was found lying face down with his hands under his body.
During his account to police, Zimmer also insisted Martin was the aggressor, a point his attorney hopes will help bolster his self-defense claim.
After the walk-through, the lead detective was not convinced Zimmerman was telling the truth and felt he should have been arrested and charged for the teen’s death, but he was overruled.
It took weeks of protests and public pressure before the State of Florida would appoint an independent prosecutor to determine whether or not charges against Zimmerman would be pursued. In April he was booked on Second Degree Murder charges.
This video comes on the heels of the release of the 911 call from Tracy Martin reporting his son, Trayvon, missing.
Today, the Martin family also issued a statement after the release of Zimmerman’s interrogation video.
“When you look at the hand-written statement written by George Zimmerman on the night of the shooting that he did before he talks to lawyers, his words, and take that into consideration with the audio statements, the witness interviews, and the previously released evidence, it is clear to us why Angela Corey charged George Zimmerman with second degree murder,” the family said.
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Audio of
Zimmerman Describing
Night of Shooting
Released
BY MAURICE GARLAND
10:04 AM Jun 21st, 2012
George Zimmerman's legal team has released audio of their client explaining to Sanford Police investigators his version of what happened the night he shot Trayvon Martin.
In it, Zimmerman is being grilled by investigator Chris Serino, telling him why he followed Trayvon and why he shot him. The audio pretty much matches the story that Zimmerman has been telling all along, but this is the first time that we can hear audio of someone asking him the questions.
He sticks to the story that Trayvon started the scuffle, knocked him to the ground and reached for Zimmerman's gun when he saw it under his jacket, threatening to kill him. Zimmerman says that's when he pulled out the gun and fired it, not knowing that he hit Trayvon until he said "You got me" before stumbling to the ground.
[ALSO READ: Trayvon Martin: Sanford Police Chief Fired]
The audio exchange between Zimmerman and Serino include ones such as these:
Serino: Ever hear of Murphys' Law?
GZ: Yes sir.
Serino: OK, that's what happened. This person (Trayvon) was not doing anything bad. He was 17 years old. An athlete. A kid with a future. I kid with folks that care....Not the goon.
"You have any prior training in law enforcement at all? As far as identifying people, what to look for that makes them really suspicious? If you guys continue Neighborhood Watch, typically the garb is black on black on black with a black hoodie. This guy had a gray hoodie. But his pants were beige. Not exactly your prime suspect type."
Serino asks Zimmerman what was going through his mind when he saw Trayvon, and he responded that he saw him near a house that someone else was casing out weeks earlier.
Serino: You know you're gonna come under a lot of scrutiny under this, the profiling aspect of this. You understand that, right?
GZ: Yes.
Serino: I got to ask that. Like I said this child has no criminal record whatsoever. Good kid. Mild mannered kid.
Serino also made mention of Trayvon having a history of recording everything on his cell phone. Zimmerman retorted that he hoped the entire ordeal was in fact captured on camera to exonerate him.
Listen to the audio for the entire interview HERE.
Audio has been released of Tracy Martin'spolice calls to Seminole County dispatchers after worried about his son's whereabouts.
The calls came approximately 13 hours after his son Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman.
In recordings obtained by NBC News, Martin is unaware of what happened to his son as he calls the next day to file a "missing persons" report.
He tells the dispatcher that he hadn't seen his son since 8 or 8:30 p.m. the night before.
You can listen to the audio below:
Click here to listen to Tracy Martin's call for help.
Click here to listen to police dispatch calling Tracy Martin back.
Police chief in
Trayvon Martin case fired
Sanford, Fla., has fired Bill Lee, the police chief who initially oversaw the controversial investigation into a white-Hispanic neighborhood watch captain's fatal shooting of a black 17-year-old, Trayvon Martin.
The initial lack of an arrest drove widespread protests and propelled the case into national headlines.
Lee previously took leave as chief and later offered to resign. Now, he is "permanently relieved of duty," according to a written announcement from the city.
"After much thoughtful discussion and deep consideration for the issues facing the city of Sanford, I have determined the police chief needs to have the trust and respect of the elected officials and the confidence of the entire community," Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte was quoted saying in the city's statement. "We need to move forward with a police chief that all the citizens of Sanford can support. I have come to this decision in light of the escalating divisiveness that has taken hold of the city."
Sanford police initially cited Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows killings in self defense, in declining to arrest the neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman claimed he was defending himself, adding that after a late-night confrontation Martin was getting the better of him in a scuffle prior to the fatal shot.
Amid separate investigations into the shooting and the response to it, Lee said on March 22 that he was "temporarily" stepping aside as Sanford police chief. He later offered his full resignation but the city council narrowly voted to reject it.
In April, a special prosecutor appointed by Gov. Rick Scott charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder.
In announcing Lee's dismissal, Sanford said Interim Chief Rick Myers would continue to run the city's police department as the city conducted a nationwide search for a permanent replacement.
>via: http://news.yahoo.com/trayvon-martin-case-police-chief-bill-lee-permanently-0...