Family of Florida boy killed by Neighborhood Watch seeks arrest - Yahoo! News

[quote]ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The family of a 17-year-old African-American boy shot to death last month in his gated Florida community by a white Neighborhood Watch captain wants to see the captain arrested, the family's lawyer said on Wednesday.
Trayvon Martin was shot dead after he took a break from watching NBA All-Star game television coverage to walk 10 minutes to a convenience store to buy snacks including Skittles candy requested by his 13-year-old brother, Chad, the family's lawyer Ben Crump said.
"He was a good kid," Crump said in an interview, adding that the family would issue a call for the Watch captain's arrest at a news conference on Thursday. "On his way home, a Neighborhood Watch loose cannon shot and killed him."
[Related: Fla. teen avoids deportation]
Trayvon, who lived in Miami with his mother, had been visiting his father and stepmother in a gated townhome community called The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, 20 miles north of Orlando.
As Trayvon returned to the townhome, Sanford police received a 911 call reporting a suspicious person.
Although names are blacked out on the police report, Crump and media reports at the time of the shooting identified the caller as George Zimmerman who is listed in the community's newsletter as the Neighborhood Watch captain.
Without waiting for police to arrive, Crump said, Zimmerman confronted Trayvon, who was on the sidewalk near his home. By the time police got there, Trayvon was dead of a single gunshot to the chest.
"What do the police find in his pocket? Skittles," Crump said. "A can of Arizona ice tea in his jacket pocket and Skittles in his front pocket for his brother Chad."
Zimmerman could not be reached for comment on Wednesday evening at a phone number listed for him on the community's newsletter.
Crump said the family was concerned that police might decide to consider the shooting as self defense, and that police have ignored the family's request for a copy of the original 911 call, which they think will shed light on the incidents.
"If the 911 protocol across the country held to form here, they told him not to get involved. He disobeyed that order," said Ryan Julison, a spokesman for the family.

"He (Zimmerman) didn't have to get out of his car," said Crump, who has prepared a public records lawsuit to file on Thursday if the family doesn't get the 911 tape. "If he never gets out of his car, there is no reason for self-defense. Trayvon only has skittles. He has the gun."
Since Trayvon, a high school junior who wanted to be a pilot, was black and Zimmerman is white, Crump said race is "the 600 pound elephant in the room."
"Why is this kid suspicious in the first place? I think a stereotype must have been placed on the kid," Crump said.
(Editing By Cynthia Johnston and Peter Bohan)

Family of Florida boy killed by Neighborhood Watch seeks arrest - Yahoo! News

Simply FOIL request will cause that 911 transcript to get free up. Zimmerman will have a tough time using self defense considering the young man was not on his property, not in possession of a weapon, not loitering in the neighborhood, and not a threat to him from inside his car (if indeed that is where he was).

__________________

Blakk homan mi seh!! Mi luv mi empress, mi rayt mih hempress, nuh odda homan ina di werl coulda eva come tess mih hafrican queen, she ah di sweetess! Blakk oman yuh ah di bess!!

i cant let that slide.. if nothing get do i would do the same thing to he.. one night i'd go out n make a 911 call same way then shoot he

Sad

Miami Herald : Shooting mystery: Miami-Dade teen killed by a crime watch captain

__________________

"Hail Mary, full of grace The Lord is with thee..."

Trayvon Martin traveled to Sanford on a trip with his father. The teen returned to his Miami home in a body bag.

Martin, 17, was shot and killed Feb. 26 by a neighborhood crime watch captain.

The circumstances of the shooting are still unknown, but the 26-year-old man who shot Martin, George Zimmerman, gave a statement to police that he shot in self-defense.

Martin’s grieving family said the teen went out around 7:30 on that Sunday during the NBA All-Star Game halftime to get snacks from a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store. He purchased Skittles candies and an Arizona iced tea for his stepbrother.

Somehow, on the way back to the Central Florida townhouse where Martin was staying, he ran into Zimmerman, who was armed with a 9mm handgun, reports said.

Martin was shot once in the chest.

“He had a gun, and Trayvon had Skittles," said Benjamin Crump, the family’s attorney. “We want justice.”

Bill Lee, Sanford’s police chief, said the case is still under investigation and that he was waiting to finalize it before sending it on to the Seminole County state attorney’s office.

Trayvon Martin traveled to Sanford on a trip with his father. The teen returned to his Miami home in a body bag.

Martin, 17, was shot and killed Feb. 26 by a neighborhood crime watch captain.

The circumstances of the shooting are still unknown, but the 26-year-old man who shot Martin, George Zimmerman, gave a statement to police that he shot in self-defense.

Martin’s grieving family said the teen went out around 7:30 on that Sunday during the NBA All-Star Game halftime to get snacks from a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store. He purchased Skittles candies and an Arizona iced tea for his stepbrother.

Somehow, on the way back to the Central Florida townhouse where Martin was staying, he ran into Zimmerman, who was armed with a 9mm handgun, reports said.

Martin was shot once in the chest.

“He had a gun, and Trayvon had Skittles," said Benjamin Crump, the family’s attorney. “We want justice.”

Bill Lee, Sanford’s police chief, said the case is still under investigation and that he was waiting to finalize it before sending it on to the Seminole County state attorney’s office.

“We need to get all the facts and circumstances straight so that we can determine what truly happened,” Lee said.

“We need answers,” Crump said. “The neighborhood watch was supposed to protect him, not kill him.”

Here’s what happened, according to the Sanford police report:

Martin, who was staying at The Retreat at Twin Lakes townhome community, was walking home from the store when he caught the attention of Zimmerman, who began following the teen in his car. At one point, Zimmerman called 911, telling the operator about a "suspicious person in the area."

Soon after the 911 call, Zimmerman and the teen got into an altercation. Police declined to comment on who confronted whom first or what the altercation was about.

Several persons called 911 when they heard shots. It was unclear how many shots were fired. It’s also unclear whether Zimmerman shot him from inside or if he stepped out of the car.

Police found Martin’s body lying on the grass about 70 yards from his family’s home.

He had $22, candy and iced tea in his pockets.

Tracy Martin is demanding answers from police about his son’s death.

“Why isn’t this guy in jail? He said my son was a threat. How was he a threat? I don’t know what he could’ve done to generate that reaction; a 140-pound kid.”

The family’s attorney has asked for the 911 recordings, but police say the case is still under investigation.

The Seminole County state attorney’s office has not yet received the case from police, spokeswoman Lynn Bumpus-Hooper said.

Not much is known about Zimmerman. A listed phone number has been disconnected.

Martin’s family members said police told them Zimmerman was a college graduate with no criminal background.

In the community’s most recent newsletter, he is listed as the contact for those wanting more information the crime watch group.

Laura Mills, the private community’s property manager, declined to comment on Zimmerman’s whereabouts or his status on the watch team.

"When I asked the police why there’s been no arrest, they told me they respected the guy’s background, that he had a four-year degree; that he was clean," Tracy Martin said. “But did they check my unarmed son’s record? No.”

Martin, who lived with his mother in South Florida, was a junior at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in North Miami-Dade, just south of the Broward County line. He was out of school because he had gotten suspended for a week. Tracy Martin would not give details about the suspension, but said he took his son to the Central Florida town, best known as the auto train stop closest to Orlando, “to disconnect and get his priorities straight.”

His cousin Stephen Martin, 20, described him as detail-oriented and a “mastermind with his hands.”

“He would break down a dirt bike and put it back together; then ride it all over the neighborhood,’’ Stephen Martin said.

Lee, Sanford’s police chief, said the neighborhood watch started after the community was hit with several property crimes. The group works directly with police.

“We encourage residents to report any suspicious activity, to not to put it in their own hands,’’ said Lee. “What happened is a tragedy.”

Top Stories

Share Story

__________________

"Hail Mary, full of grace The Lord is with thee..."

Thanks..other than copy n paste I still don't kno how to post a full article as opposed to just the link

__________________

"Hail Mary, full of grace The Lord is with thee..."

kid looks like my little brother yo. I say jail Zimmerman

Yea yo white ppl shock me sometimes

__________________

"Hail Mary, full of grace The Lord is with thee..."

Not surprised...but God sees all.

VV, not sure why it's shocking that a white person would do this. They have a legacy murdering blacks and getting away with it in this country. So if true, I'm sure this man feels he will get away with it.

Even when they are caught, they usually receive less of a penalty than a black person does for killing someone white. That's how it is and they are quite aware of it.

Someone made a comment about this:

What Everyone Should Know About Trayvon Martin (1995-2012) | ThinkProgress



On February 26, 2012, a 17-year-old African-American named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida. The shooter was George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old white man. Zimmerman admits killing Martin, but claims he was acting in self-defense. Three weeks after Martin’s death, no arrests have been made and Zimmerman remains free.
Here is what everyone should know about the case:
1. Zimmerman called the police to report Martin’s “suspicious” behavior, which he described as “just walking around looking about.” Zimmerman was in his car when he saw Martin walking on the street. He called the police and said: “There’s a real suspicious guy. This guy looks like he’s up to no good, on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around looking about… These a**holes always get away” [Orlando Sentinel]
2. Zimmerman pursued Martin against the explicit instructions of the police dispatcher:
Dispatcher: “Are you following him?”
Zimmerman: “Yeah”
Dispatcher: “OK, we don’t need you to do that.”
[Orlando Sentinel]
3. Prior to the release of the 911 tapes, Zimmerman’s father released a statement claiming “[a]t no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin.” [Sun Sentinel]
4. Zimmerman was carrying a a 9 millimeter handgun. Martin was carrying a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. [ABC News]
5. Martin weighed 140 pounds. Zimmerman weighs 250 pounds. [Orlando Sentinel; WDBO]
6. Martin’s English teacher described him as “as an A and B student who majored in cheerfulness.” [Orlando Sentinel]
7. Martin had no criminal record. [New York Times]
8. Zimmerman “was charged in July 2005 with resisting arrest with violence and battery on an officer. The charges appear to have been dropped.” [Huffington Post]
9. Zimmerman called the police 46 times since Jan. 1, 2011. [Miami Herald]
10. According to neighbors, Zimmerman was “fixated on crime and focused on young, black males.” [Miami Herald]
11. Zimmerman “had been the subject of complaints by neighbors in his gated community for aggressive tactics” [Huffington Post]
12. A police officer “corrected” a key witness. “The officer told the witness, a long-time teacher, it was Zimmerman who cried for help, said the witness. ABC News has spoken to the teacher and she confirmed that the officer corrected her when she said she heard the teenager shout for help.” [ABC News]
13. Three witnesses say they heard a boy cry for help before a shot was fired. “Three witnesses contacted by The Miami Herald say they saw or heard the moments before and after the Miami Gardens teenager’s killing. All three said they heard the last howl for help from a despondent boy.” [Miami Herald]
14. The officer in charge of the crime scene also received criticism in 2010 when he initially failed to arrest a lieutenant’s son who was videotaped attacking a homeless black man. [New York Times]
15. The police did not test Zimmerman for drugs or alcohol. A law enforcement expert told ABC that Zimmerman sounds intoxicated on the 911 tapes. Drug and alcohol testing is “standard procedure in most homicide investigations.” [ABC News]

__________________

Our Queen went to sleep, her people left to weep....in song she lives on.



Long Live the Queen!

mental problems and a boy had to suffer.

__________________

“A sharp knife never proclaims it’s sharpness to the world…but the first to fall against it becomes it’s advocate.”

You can put any face behind a mask but be careful cos someone else might be pretending. You might not be the only one with a secret -- Cassie/Gretel

I've been tweeting about him and trying to get others to retweet #JusticeForTrayvonMartin

__________________

Those Who Sacrifice Freedom for Security Deserve Neither
www.cookingwithval.com
http://www.snackhealthy.com/snackwithval
@cookingwithval
@NicaBlack

And retweeting is going to...

and this Zimmerman guy has not been charged ???
SMH