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Florida Police Chief Who Bungled Trayvon Martin Case Temporarily Stepping Down
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 22, 2012
Modified Mar 22, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 22, 2012
Modified Mar 22, 2012
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The Florida police chief who has mishandled the investigation around the death of Trayvon Martin has stepped down temporarily. Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee Jr. said, "While I stand by the Sanford Police Department, its personnel and the investigation that was conducted in regards to the Trayvon Martin case, it is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process. Therefore, I have come to the decision that I must temporarily remove myself from the position as the police chief of the City of Sanford. I do this in hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to this city, which has been in turmoil for several weeks."
Last month, Martin, a black 17-year-old, was walking through a Sanford, which is just outside of Orlando, gated townhouse community—to his father's girlfriend's home—when he was fatally shot by the captain of the volunteer neighborhood watch. While George Zimmerman called the police to say, "There's a real suspicious guy. This guy looks like he's up to no good or he's on drugs or something," and was told he didn't need to follow the teen, Martin ended up dead. And the teen was unarmed and just carrying Skittles and iced tea.
Zimmerman was never arrested, claiming self-defense, but after weeks of criticism from Martin's family and their supporters, and the recent release of 911 tapes, the Justice Department has started an investigation, but it's unclear if charges will be possible, given Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law that allows people essentially a free license to shoot others if they feel threatened. Still, 911 tapes suggest that Zimmerman may have said, "f**ing coons," while following Martin. Other neighbors say that Zimmerman told them previously to be on the watch for suspicious black people.
The fatal shooting and the lack of local investigation into Zimmerman has galvanized the story into a national one—last night's rally in Union Square had hundreds of attendees. The Miami Herald runs down some issues with how the Sanford Police Department and Lee have handled the case:
The family had to file a lawsuit for the release of 911 tapes, but they felt the department was often willing to release information that was favorable to Zimmerman.
• As evidence that the incident was not a case of racial profiling, Lee told The Miami Herald that when the police dispatch operator asked Zimmerman the race of the suspicious person he saw, the Hispanic neighborhood watch captain did not know. Yet when the recording of that conversation was made public, Zimmerman clearly says, “he looks black.”
• Initial police reports never mentioned that Zimmerman had a bloody nose or a wet shirt that showed evidence of a struggle. Attorneys for the dead teen’s family believe the information was added in a second report to justify the lack of an arrest.
• Police said witness statements supported Zimmerman’s account. But several of the witnesses expressed surprise, telling The Herald that they reported hearing someone crying for help just before a shot ended the cries. The 911 tapes of witness calls bolstered their claims.
• One of the witnesses who heard the crying said she called a detective repeatedly, but said he was not interested because her account differed from Zimmerman’s.
• For nearly a month, police never noticed a profanity Zimmerman mumbled under his breath when he called police, which some people believe was accompanied by a muffled racial slur.
• Even though investigators have the dead boy’s cell phone, it was Trayvon’s father who combed through the phone records to discover that his son was talking to a girlfriend in the moments that led up to his death.
It's unclear whether Zimmerman used a slur. Here's an AC360 segment where an audio engineer tried to enhance the 911 tapes; whether a slur was used would be important for a federal case:
Tagged
george zimmerman
racial profiling
sanford police
shooting
stand your ground
trayvon martin
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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