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Subscribe to RSSTrayvon Martin's final phone call -- made to his girlfriend -- is shedding new light on the moments leading up to his deadly confrontation with a neighborhood watch volunteer. NBC's Lilia Luciano reports.
Updated at 8:01 a.m. ET: A 17-year-old boy whose death has sparked national outrage fearfully told his girlfriend over the phone moments before he was shot to death that he was being followed, contradicting the shooter's self-defense claim, the family’s lawyer said Tuesday afternoon.
Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for Trayvon Martin's, held a news conference on Tuesday to discuss the teen's phone records in the hours before he was shot in the gated Twin Lakes, Fla. community on Feb. 26. Crump said Martin, a black teenager, had gotten caught in the rain and had put on his hoodie, unaware he was being followed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, NBCMiami.com reported.
"He's just a kid trying to get home from the store and get out of the rain, that's it, nothing else," Crump said.
Martin was unarmed and had gone to a nearby store to pick up a bag of Skittles and an iced tea when the confrontation occurred. Earlier on Tuesday, ABC News reported that Martin's girlfriend said she they were on the phone together at the time.
Trayvon Martin lawyer speaks: Read more on NBC Miami
"He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man," the girlfriend, who was not identified, told ABC. "I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run, but he said he was not going to run."
Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the parents of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen shot dead by a neighborhood watch volunteer, tell TODAY's Matt Lauer they want justice for their son and want the shooter, George Zimmerman, arrested.
Call logs from Martin's phone confirm he spoke with the 16-year-old girlfriend interviewed by ABC News minutes before his death, the news station reported.
More than 435,000 people, many alerted by tweets from celebrities such as movie director Spike Lee and musician Wyclef Jean, signed a petition on Change.org, a social action website, calling for the arrest of Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman, who has claimed he acted in self-defense. On Monday, the Justice Department and FBI announced they opened an investigation into the shooting.
Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' law could complicate Martin case
Although Martin initially told his girlfriend he wasn't going to run, he eventually did, she said, but the stranger managed to corner him.
"Trayvon said, 'What, are you following me for,' and the man said, 'What are you doing here.' Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the headset just fell. I called him again and he didn't answer the phone."
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After that, the line went dead, she said. According to ABC News, other than screams on 911 calls as Martin and Zimmerman scuffled, those were the last words Martin said.
Mom: Trayvon Martin was killed because of 'the color of his skin'
"What George Zimmerman said to the police about him being suspicious and up to no good is completely contradicting to what he was doing," Crump said Tuesday. "This claim that Trayvon Martin was the aggressor is preposterous."
Martin's girlfriend is traumatized, Crump told reporters.
Grand jury called in Trayvon Martin case
"She couldn't even go to his wake. She was so sick, she spent the night in the hospital," he said.
Zimmerman called police 46 times
Zimmerman called 911 dozens of times in the months that led to the fatal shooting, The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday evening. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office released six calls he had made, four of which called police to report "suspicious" persons -- all of whom were black -- in or near the Retreat at Twin Lakes enclave, the paper said.
The other calls were about a neighbor's open garage door and children playing in the street at dusk, reported The Sentinel. None of the newly released calls are related to Martin's shooting.
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It looks like Treyvon isn't so innocent in this. Apparently he was on TOP of Zimmerman, punching him in the nose.
Can you hear me now?
i want to know who can answer this question what is the differance between us all i will tell you it is just our skin color and our race that is it we all bleed red we all have blue blood inside us before the oxygen hit's it.So in the shooting case this Zimmerman should be arrested for murder 1) because he followed the child 2)he confronted the child when told not to 3)he was carrying a gun when he was not suppose to cues he is neighborhood watch and they do not carry gun's.The stand your ground law does not pretain to him because he followed the child so he should be arrested for murder.And it might have been raical motived by this man,and that in my eye's is totally wrong we all are created equal be man or woman and this man should pay for what he as caused for this child's partent's.
Former real news reporter who joined Fox news, Gerarldo Riviera - Our favorite Graham Cracker w/ creamy white icing inside and 1890 handle bar mustache on the outside has finally weighed in.
He has stepped in to absolved George of any crime.
Apparently it was inevitable. Seems as though in his study of the issue, it was the Hoodie that killed Trayvon. George, it appears, was so infuriated at the dreaded Hoodie that, there was no way that George could not respond to his murderous rage at the hoodie he had to respondkilling the child inside. No matter that he had done nothing suspicious
Asked if he was serious,
He went on to say that he warned his own son the wearing a Hoodie was an admission that he was a "wanna-be" gangster.
Open season on his own son? Now thats harsh.
Clothing invite assaultHe:
All you Dock workers, construction workers, Iron workers, Fishermen (Deadliest Catch guys constantly wore hoodies), Foot ball players, everyone on the sideline seems to have on hoodie/ponchos with hoods or capes with hoods. Skaters, surfers, snow boarders, Skiers - all wear hood, stop it - you'll get shot and its justified.
Was it that long ago when women wear short skirts were "asking for it" to wear mini skirts, halter tops, shorts or horror of horror - Daisy Dukes. Guys lose control and can't restrain themselves.
Every time I think about Trayvon I feel, I feel like screaming to the top of my lungs, jumping up and down, rolling around on the ground like a child having a tantrum. I am crazy upset. I can’t understand how
it is that in 2012, African-Americans are still being stereotyped and unjustifiably killed.
There are good and bad in every race, yet African-Americans continue to be the target of hate.
There are white, female, teachers who have sex with their young male students. Are white women carrying books being followed? NO!
There are white, male, priests who have sex with young boys. Are white men wearing robes being followed? NO!
There are white, rich, male, students who kill their girlfriends. Are white male students being followed? NO. Absolutely NO(T)!
African-Americans are intelligent and articulate—Examples: Barack Obama, Don Lemon, Roland Martin, Oprah
Whinfrey, Michelle Obama, on and on. African-Americansare talented – Examples: The numerous
African-American singers, dancers, musicians – Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Alecia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, on and on. African-Americans are athletes – The Williams
sisters, Magic, Michael Jordan, Koby, on and on. And in case many of you don’t know, there are
many inventions by African-Americans – Examples: George Washington Carter, Elijah McCoy, Lewis Howard
Latimer, Madame C.J. Walker, on and on .. More importantly, there are many African-Americans
who are doctors, teachers, lawyers, nurses, federal and state employees, honor rolls students, Harvard, Howard, Cornell graduates, entrepreneurs, on and on. African-Americans are Presidents! And we
are SOMEBOBY!
Thought for the day: Is the Sanford, FL police department
the only police department in country that has ever overlooked the indiscretions
of one of their officer or officers for not doing their jobs? If it were not
for the media putting this story out to the public we would not be having this
conversation. The Stanford police
department wanted this situation to just go away. The investigating officers first
on the scene just wanted this to go away.
Trayvon Martin day of justice will come, just as Keith Warren's day of
justice and accountability will not be far behind. keithwarrenjusticesite.com
havent seen anyone comment on George Zimmermann actually hanging up the phone while he was on a 911 call.If he was in fact in danger or feared for his life why the hell would he hang up the phone with the dispatcher and tell them to call him back when they arrived. I for one would not be hanging up a 911 call if i needed help or felt like i was in about to die. Everything about this call is wrong and stinks. his call is all the jury should need to convict this dumbass of murder.
this too will be rememered in our history with the name of Martin...we must bring change to what is wrong, lets not ignore this one... people of America, rise up and Pray! may God keep him....rest in peace, Trayvon
MARTYRED SAINT Trayvon Jesus Martin was a 6ft 2in drug dealing thug, full of N-word(his own words) ATTITUDE (and probably roids rage via his footballing) and from all accounts liked to swing punches at bus drivers. Busted for grafitti on a school video camera, when the security guard searched his locker finding 20 pieces of womens jewelry and a burgular tool, he was suspended. This was before his latest suspenstion. Sweet kid.
He spotted Zimmerman a lil fat out of shape lard butt and thought that he'd do the N-word thing and kick the lil mexicans butt, he bashed Zimmerman around and got shot-that's the story.
Also why didn't this girlfriend call the police? His family? Why did they take days to go looking for him when his girlfriend JUST got off the phone with him?
Just another DemoncRat assasination done by a party loyal, Hispanic with a Jewish last name that translates to "carpenter" none the less.
They tell these lies so you focus on the story they created, and so you don't have time to deal with their unprecedented corruption in government. They killed Trayvon Martin, they are Trayvon Martin.