That is the account Zimmerman gave police, and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say.
Zimmerman has not spoken publicly about what happened, but that night, Feb. 26, and in later meetings he described and re-enacted for police what he says happened.
Zimmerman’s lawyer, Craig Sonner, has denied there was any racial motive. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.
In his version of events, he had turned around and was walking back to his SUV when Martin approached him from behind, the two exchanged words then Martin punched him in the nose, sending him to the ground, and began beating him.
Zimmerman told police he shot the teenager in self-defence.
Civil rights leaders and thousands of others have demanded Zimmerman's arrest, calling Martin a victim of racial profiling and Zimmerman a vigilante.
Martin was an unarmed black teenager who had committed no crime, they say, who was gunned down while walking back from a 7-Eleven with nothing more sinister than a package of Skittles and can of Arizona iced tea.
Supporters have held rallies in Sanford, Miami, New York and Tallahassee, calling the case a tragic miscarriage of injustice.
Activist Al Sharpton headlined a rally in Sanford Thursday that drew an estimated 8,000 people. The Rev. Jesse Jackson yesterday spoke at an Eatonville church, where he called the teen a martyr.
Another rally was scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday in Sanford.
Zimmerman has gone into hiding. A fringe group, the New Black Panthers, have offered a $10,000 reward for his capture.
Police have been reluctant to provided details about all their evidence, but this is what they've disclosed to the Sentinel:
Zimmerman was on his way to the grocery store when he spotted Martin walking through his gated community.
Martin was visiting his father's fiancée, who lived there. He had been suspended from school in Miami after being found with an empty marijuana baggie. Miami schools have a zero-tolerance policy for drug possession.
Zimmerman called police and reported a suspicious person, describing Martin as black, acting strangely and perhaps on drugs.
Zimmerman got out of his SUV to follow Martin on foot. When a dispatch employee asked Zimmerman if he was following the 17-year-old, Zimmerman said yes. The dispatcher told Zimmerman he did not need to do that.
There is about a one-minute gap during which police say they're not sure what happened.
Zimmerman told them he lost sight of Martin and was walking back to his SUV when Martin approached him from the left rear, and they exchanged words.
Martin asked Zimmerman if he had a problem. Zimmerman said no and reached for his cell phone, he told police.
Martin then said, “Well, you do now” or something similar and punched Zimmerman in the nose.
Zimmerman fell to the ground and Martin got on top of him and began slamming his head into the sidewalk, he told police.
Zimmerman began yelling for help.
Several witnesses heard those cries, and there's been a dispute about from whom they came: Zimmerman or Martin.
Lawyers for the teen’s family say it was Martin, but police say their evidence indicates it was Zimmerman.
One witness, who has since talked to local television news reporters, told police he saw Zimmerman on the ground with Martin on top, pounding him and was unequivocal that it was Zimmerman who was crying for help.
Zimmerman then shot Martin once in the chest from very close range, according to authorities.
When police arrived less than two minutes later, Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose, had a swollen lip and had bloody lacerations to the back of his head.
Paramedics gave him first aid, but he said no to going to the hospital. He got medical care the next day.
The Department of Justice last week opened a civil rights investigation into what happened, and Gov. Rick Scott appointed a special prosecutor.
It's not clear whether the special prosecutor, Angela Corey, the state attorney for Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, will have Zimmerman arrested, announce that there's not enough evidence to file a manslaughter charge or present evidence to a grand jury.
A friend of Zimmerman said Monday that Zimmerman would tell the teen's parents he's “very, very sorry” if he could.
Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America, Joe Oliver said Zimmerman is not a racist and has virtually lost his own life since the shooting.
“This is a guy who thought he was doing the right thing at the time, and it's turned out horribly wrong,” Oliver said.
Also Monday, the state Department of Juvenile Justice confirmed that Martin does not have a juvenile offender record. The information came after a public records request by The Associated Press.
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Rene Stutzman
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