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Trayvon Martin's Family Calls George Zimmerman A Murderer
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 12, 2012
Modified Apr 12, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 12, 2012
Modified Apr 12, 2012
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The family of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was fatally shot on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Florida, spoke out today about former neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, who was charged with second-degree murder yesterday. Martin's parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton appeared on NBC, CBS and ABC morning programs today—among other things, they said they were "at ease" that Zimmerman could no longer hold a gun permit. Fulton also said at one point that she thought the incident was an "accident." She later clarified those remarks: "We believe that George Zimmerman stalked my son and murdered him in cold blood. The 'accident' I was referring to was the fact that George Zimmerman and my son ever crossed paths. It was an accidental encounter."
"If George Zimmerman hadn't gotten out of his vehicle, this entire incident would have been avoided. My son was profiled, followed and murdered by George Zimmerman, and there was nothing accidental about that," she added. She told CBS: "We just want people to know that if you shoot someone that is unarmed that you should be arrested. The evidence can play out once you get to court, but you should be arrested. This was a minor. This was not another adult, and my son was unarmed."
Fulton described what she was thinking as she heard special prosecutor Angela B. Corey announced the charges yesterday:
What went through my mind was that finally the person who shot and killed my son was going to be held accountable for what he has done. Even if [a trial] means he may be found not guilty, we just want him to be held accountable for what he’s done. By him not being arrested, that would not have been done. We are happy that he was arrested so that he can give his side of the story.’
Zimmerman was in court this afternoon (as you can see in the picture above), making his first public appearance since the shooting—the next court date is May 29th. His new lawyer, Mark O'Mara, told CNN Wednesday night he was surprised by the severity of the charges: "That type of crime sort of suggests that he did something truly unlawful...And I think the evidence so far suggests there was at least question and controversy over what happened."
Tagged
death
fatal shooting
florida
george zimmerman
trayvon martin
trial
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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