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Subscribe to RSSMartin Bashir leads a discussion with The Grio.com's Joy-ann Reid and Georgetown University's Michael Eric Dyson about how race – and some in the media – are playing a role in shaping Americans perception of the Trayvon Martin case and George Zimmerman's defense.
SANFORD, Fla. -- FBI agents on Monday were questioning potential witnesses in the Trayvon Martin shooting, confirming to NBC News that the agency had begun a "parallel investigation" that focuses on whether the teen's civil rights were violated.
Agents are seeking information on George Zimmerman's background and whether he was racially motivated when he pursued Martin after calling a 911 police dispatcher about his presence in the community, an FBI official told NBC.
The agents were at the Retreat at Twin Lakes, where Martin was shot dead by Zimmerman, the gated community's neighborhood watch captain.
The state of Florida is conducting its own investigation in the shooting and that one is being overseen by a special prosecutor.
Although the Justice Department two weeks ago publicly announced it would examine potential civil rights violations, the arrival of bureau agents represents a new phase in inquiries into the case.
A senior law enforcement official confirmed that one potential piece of evidence is records of Zimmerman's prior 911 calls to police dispatchers.
The call sheets show that five of seven phone calls Zimmerman had made since last August involved what he viewed as suspicious activity by young men identified as "black males." But the call sheets do not indicate whether Zimmerman was asked about the race of the suspects or volunteered that information.
Zimmerman, who has not come forward to talk about the shooting, acknowledged to police that he shot Martin but insists it was self-defense.
The incident has sparked outrage in many quarters because Martin, who was black, was unarmed.
Craig Sonner, Zimmerman's lawyer, has insisted that his client, who has a white father and Hispanic mother, is not racist. "This was not a case of racial profiling," he told NBC News on Sunday. "George Zimmerman is not a racist."
Sonner told Reuters on Monday that Zimmerman would turn himself in to police should he be charged.
Lawyers for the family of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin say they will ask the Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the investigation into the 17-year-old's death. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.
Also Monday, lawyer's for Martin's parents said they would ask the Justice Department to investigate the local prosecutor's interactions with police handling the probe into their son's death.
The Justice Department initiated a query on March 19, but the family wants them to look into possible interference by State Attorney Norm Wolfinger's office with the Sanford police investigation of Martin’s Feb. 26 death, NBCMiami.com reported.
The Sanford Police Department requested an arrest warrant from Wolfinger’s office in the shooting, but the state attorney's office held off until the case could be reviewed further, according to NBCMiami.com.
Experts: Screams on 911 call not Zimmerman
Video shows Zimmerman after shooting
Two audio experts who have analyzed the 911 tapes from the fatal evening have determined that Zimmerman was not the person heard crying for help.
"The tests concluded that it's not the voice of Mr. Zimmerman," said Tom Owen, of Owen Forensic Services LLC and chair emeritus for the American Board of Recorded Evidence.
Asked if he thought such tests would be admissible in court, Owen said "yes" and noted he had recently used similar testing in testimony at a Connecticut murder case that involved a 911 call.
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Doesnt matter he called Trayvon a COON! He shot the young man who was not a threat to him at all. DUMB AZZ Not A Drone... SMH
And I've been called cracker, nazi, whitey, and other names..... your point?
At this point, the media has created a feeding frenzy and it has come out that NBC at least altered 911 audio BEFORE they aired it.
Is Zimmerman innocent? I don't know as I wasn't there. Is Martin innocent? I don't know as I wasn't there.
What I do know is that the people are being fired up by the media and professional agitators. In that situation NO-ONE ever gets justice. Revenge, maybe, justice.... no.
Why is it not reported by MSNBC that Zimmerman is a Hispanic DEMOCRAT?
What does that matter at all? He could be a muslim socialist or a white republican...does not matter.
Stevo,
It doesn't?? Imagine if he WAS a "white republican". Or, even a black republican.
But, it sure does matter to Jackson and Sharpton.
How much more evidence do the police need before they even question Zimmerman. Five out of seven of his 911 calls were about menacing black males? Hmm...gee, do you think that's telling?
It's not illegal to be stupid. How many of those 5 calls resulted in a shooting? Hmm...gee, do you think that's telling? What were the other 2? Besides, the police did question Zimmerman? How many young black males are questioned by the police and not arrested? Hmm...gee, do you think that that's telling?
Someone lost their life, another might as well have - a tragedy all the way around. The truth lies somewhere between the versions of events that are being broadcast to the world without complete knowledge of what actually happened.
Jon.... it's called media manipulation for ratings. Nothing more.
All people are doing is venting and specualting about things they know nothing about, other than what they've been spoon fed from the media.
Only Zimmerman and Martin really know what happened that night and Martin is dead.
Everyone else who thinks they know what happened is just speculating based on their own personal beliefs and those beliefs mean nothing in a court of law.
The state must prove a crime has been committed and be able to prove guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt". They clearly are having trouble meeting this burden or else Martin would have already been charged.
I'm expecting public pressure to lead to a charges and subsequent trial which will lead to a not guilty verdict and rioting. Fun.
whatever the outcome Mr. Zmmerman's life will be changed forever. as investigation delves in backgrounds, it appears Zimmerman was wound tight before and will be even more so as he clings to a truth he has concocted to fit the situation as plausible scenario. as fight for survival his family has bought in. nothing can legitimize the fact that he was the aggressor, he had a gun, and pursued against recommendation. our society has tumbled backwards. if the roles had been reversed, Mr. Martin would have been taken in and held with prejudice. from what I read Zimmerman never acknowledged his credentials. maybe he had none. me thinks he has issues and played a few of them out in what now resembles more a video game. he won, Trayvon lost. how may points does Zimmerman get for taking out the undesirable? is he a man or scared child? is he acknowledging he is a wimp and the tall, skinny teenaged had him down and out for the count? nothing will be served until we hear from him under protection of our court system. as now he claims he was the victim I find that hard nails to swallow. as a nation we have adopted this as our own and none seek a new trail of tears ever again. no statue will ever be built for Zimmerman. perhaps in a parallel world one will be constructed for the young man who chased down a bag of candy and never lived to enjoy them. cool heads prevail. please allow the legal process to run its course however unfair their findings. this life is but temporary anyway. our days are always numbered. there is no forever for anyone, but I'll take as many as I can get and pipe in as my right as native born Texan whom chooses to think and encourage the best in all. the stickler here is - day in court!!!!
The lesson here is never call 911. Handle it yourself. Case closed.
No. The lesson here is don't handle it yourself. You'll just screw things up.
"
zoroaster
How can you be so sure Borealis? I haven't seen any video of Martin's injuries to prove that they were severe enough to be fatal..."
(in response to someone saying Martin's injuries were much worse than Zimmerman's with no enhancement needed to notice)
Can I just nominate this as post of the century at this point and end any more absurd debate about the objectivity of the American public once and for all? This IDIOT needs to SEE the bullet hole to determine that it was bad enough to kill the DEAD GUY.
I'm sure someone will call this sarcasm. I can no longer buy such assumptions about the public in this country.
He is not even White he is Latino look at him if he is white I am the Pope.
I blame the News Media for stirring up race trouble they love race stories.
I don't care what his racial genetic make up is. All I do know is that he is one half fool and one half coward.
The Media cares what the racial make up is blame them stupid.
The black community and the media have all ready convicted Zimmerman on opinion and prejudice.
Where is the investigation of weather Zimmerman's civil rights have been violated?
Sharpten should be charged with the violation of civil rights by his prejudicial statements early on in this sad fiasco.
The reports relevant to this case should be presented in a court of law, not to a group of vigilante radicals and not to the media who will prostitute any one and any thing for ratings!
There are plenty of non-black people that have convicted him as well. Why don't you stop making this into the racial issue that you keep blaming others for doing?
The Media already made it a race issue by blaming White Folk.
Who cares what color he is. If that was your kid would you feel the same way. You people always play the race card. We don't care if he is striped with every color of the rainbow. He killed this young man for no reason what so ever and he needs to be tried for murder. You idiot.
Well lets just march right down there and LYNCH him since you have already tried and convicted the guy.
Here we go as the Obamantion administration takes and shreds the legal system just for their wantings. But not the truth. Just watch, they will stage things to follow what they want the result to be. Everything that this so called investigation will be staged and fictionalized. Nothing will be true for this is a Obamanation pressure...........
Stop showing 5 year old pics of this black kid. He was waayyy bigger before he was shot, and he was ballsy enough to assault somebody before he got shot. Plus I've seen recent pics of him dressed like a gang banger. Why doesn't the media show those pics???
It doesn't serve their purpose. They need to inflame the public. "There is money in chaos"
LOL really!? Is this CSI Las Vegas where we can just enhance telephone calls and determine who was making faint cries for help outside in the street? Lets go back in time while we're at it and pull high res satellite photos and get the serial number off of Zimmerman's cell phone. Also the demographics for Sanford FL are approx 55% white, 38% black so the previous calls saying he saw a "Black male" aren't farfetched. The dispatchers always ask if you can tell the ethnicity of the person, I have had to call the police a few times regarding situations while I was driving around town. Witnessing fights in parking lots, drunks, etc....each time they asked for the ethnicity.
Screw the nigga he's dead. he obviously didn't have much self esteem calling himself "no limit NIGGA" I could care less he's dead . I am sick of Sharpton , Jackson and all these phony race baiting liberal asshats. The kid is dead cause he behaved STUPIDLY , case closed , phuck him.
This angel was a thief, was suspended from school, used drugs and maybe sold them, yet NBC paints him as an angel. What trash!
Takes trash to know trash.
Zimmerman should get life imprisonment just for the murder alone, but he should get additional punishments for all of the thin, flimsy, cowardly lies he has told to cover his crime of first degree murder. Americans that defend him are chickens
Zimmerman's best case scenario is being charged with first degree murder. The state cannot even begin to meet the burden of proof of that charge and it would be a 100% certainty that he'd be found not guilty.
But that's why you are a goofball on the Internet and not the prosecuting attorney in this case.
I gather you believe in the adage: Guilty until proved innocent.
Were you a participant in the Spanish Inquisition or the Salem Witch Hunt?? I know they were before your time, but maybe you're like Shirley McLane and were reincarnated.
Not A Drone, since you obviously aren't involved in the investigation, you don't know any more about this case than the rest of us, but yet you give us an opinion that is pure specutlation and conjecture with no basis in fact. You say that Zimmerman will never be convicted of first degree murder. What facts do have to back up your ridiculous statement?
There is something i have to say about this case.
it is terrible what has happenned and the fact that someone is dead and there seems to be a one way information block. ther has to be an investigation.
BUT, could everyone PLEASE, back up, back off and let the fed and investigators do their job. I am disgusted with the media who are doing ewverything they can to turn it/ spin it/ in to NOT being a racism thing NOT/SO.
the media needs to shut up, all of them from CNN to msn to fox across the board. enough already.
this is a terrible event. and trhe horrendous nature of the event is being hijackled by the media.
quit it, report it, zip it. no pundits, no opinions, nothing stop.
Don't forget to have the FBI investigate why the police did not prosecute thug Trayvon when they caught him with 12 pieces of stolen jewelry and burglery tools in his napsack. Guess in youir trash neighborhood that would amke him a ncie kid! Seems the police turned a blind eye to that crime too. Shame om them.
TRAYVON WAS A THUG who beat Zimmerman as forensic enhancement of the tape shows the back of Zimmerman's head all cut up from being smash on the sidewalk by Trayvon, as the witness said. Trayvon acted all thug tough but brouight fist to a gun fight- dumb thug!
And forensic enhancement of the audio shows Zimmerman is a lair and it's not him screaming for help like he's claimed. So, you now going to show your ignorance even further and claim one is forensic evidence but not the other? Quite a quandary you just put yourself in huh ctc?
Shellie, please hurry up and go out and buy some class as it seems you have not been taught by your parents to respect others. All of your replies are designed to be demeaning and really do not look good on you. You must be a hoot to live with, like a non stop bridezilla. Please I beg of you go take lessons on manners and class and how to conduct yourself in public and perhaps people's opinions of you will get better.
I posted this because I am sick of people such as yourself who demean others to make themselves feel smarter and better when in fact while you may be intelligent you are actually lowering your IQ emotionally and academically.
Has anyone noticed how much more phucked up the world is, from The Middle East to Central Florida, since 2008?
So move to the Moon with Newt
doug,
So, I guess you're going to move to the moon when Obamacare is shot down? Or, maybe move to Canada?
2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives the answer to your question.
I think if it had been a black man shooting a white kid, he would have been arrested no question. At the very least, the police would not have left one stone unturned. I think the police failed big time on this. The fact that the FBI is investigating shows that there was definitely some big misconduct. At the very least, I think this stand your ground law needs to be reviewed. It basically translated to anyone having a right to shoot you if you make them uncomfortable. Then is your word against theirs, which is specially bad if you are dead. I hope they collected some forensic evidence which can tell them how Martin was shot, were, was he standing up or over ZImmerman, was he on the ground? There has to be some way to determine what really happened (if the police releases the info). I think the parents have a right to know why their so is dead when he was just walking on the street. Martin had a right to defend himself as well if he felt threatened.
What ever Zimmerman's injuries were, I am sure that he stalked this kid, did not identify himself and so the kid fought back in fear for his own life. Zimmerman was told by the 911 operator not to pursue Travon, he chose to disregard those instructions. Not to mention he was not to be carrying a gun on a neighborhood watch. Then we also have the fact that he seems to be following black young males every time he would call in a report. I think this guy left his house with a agenda and now he wants to scream self defense. I am sure he did not expect the fight he got from this 17 year old kid to survive. Of course he had injuries, this kid was fighting for his life. Zimmerman needs to be arrested and charged with first degree murder.
Jesus man they're still showing pictures of his little ass when he was about 10YO. Show pics of the "no limit NIGGA" and reveal what a punk he really was.
Whatever the outcome: the country, the family, and Justice deserves an objective, thorough and unbiased investigation and report. The investigation is clearly indicated by factors including:
-Sanford police botched investigation, pollution of crime scene, failures to take clothing for testing, conduct interviews surrounding the scene (standard police procedure for every homocide), conduct adequate (or any) investigation to determine applicability of "Stand Your Ground", such as whether Zimmerman was in the process of or had committed a crime which would nullify the statute, and absence of blood, bruises, or knuckle evidence that would nullify the claim of threat of death or grievous bodily harm;
-The official 911 tapes (Zimmerman's activities, disregard of police advisory and statement "ok", the "help cries, the gunshot and immediate silence) , silence;
-The cell phone record and contents showing the call at 7:12PM, followed by the police arrival at 7:17 PM;
-the official police department video beginning with the arrival at the station at 7:51, with Zimmerman in apparent good condition (not disoriented, stumbling or bruised and apparently showing no blood--which at least 3 officers in the video could confirm or deny, along with any or no "clean-up"
-conflicting official police department reports (the first with no mention of blood or injury, the second asserting blood 1 1/2 hours later);
freedom from actual or apparent good-ol' boy-justice (like the video of the cop's son mercilessly beating the black man with no arrest; Zimmerman, Son of Zimmerman the ex-Magistrate; and the inaction and incompetence of the Sanford police here across many dimensions.
-the statements of Zimmerman "supporters"--not yet under oath--contradicted by time-line, video, documented phone call from girl friend, and other witnesses;
and much, much more already uncovered without a full investigation.
Examine closely the rationale offered by those criticizing an FBI investigation--it it the real rationale?
I hope you understand that "documented phone call" from the girlfriend could be tainted evidence if she was interviewed after the 911 tapes were released. This also includes any evidence that may be in favor of Zimmerman from witnesses who were interviewed after that tape.
You may demand that the family and country deserve justice, but so does Zimmerman. He is protected by the laws of this country as well and the prosecution has the burden of proof placed upon them in convincing a jury that Zimmerman is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
A mob demanding "justice" is just a mob demanding revenge. They will accept nothing less than a guilty verdict I guarantee you that!
Drone: Very fair comment. The thought was: was there cause to inquire whether a crime had been committed, and if so whether Zimmerman or others were persons of interest, and if so should the inquiry be objective and thorough. The comment began "whatever the outcome".
I am not sure that the phone call and contents would be tainted if she were interviewed AFTER (as you posited). They speak for themselves, as does the timeline, and the existence of live communication until 7:12PM. There may be ample foundation for the introduction of THAT evidence. I do not see how those are affected one way or another by the 911 tapes--which were revealed later. I have no opinion on what happens after the tapes were released--or how that would prevent her from testifying that the voice on the call was hers, and the voice on the other end was Mr. Martin, and what SHE said and SHE heard during the events.
I don't see the mob either way in "whatever the outcome". The subject was the FBI entering the case; I believe good cause was shown "whatever the outcome". The good cause shown was enumerated in part, "whatever the outcome". That's all.
If you feel what is shown so far is awkward for Mr. Zimmerman, it may be refuted, clarified, or confirmed--but was the good cause shown for the FBI to enter--absolutely.
Or perhaps: on what is known so far, how could they NOT enter the investigation?
If you equate an FBI investigation with a mob--I differ sharply with you. If so, you do not represent the vast majority of the country or the history and techniques of FBI investigations.
No need to call in the FBI for anything, all you a holes already know everything about this crime.
The federal burrow of Idiots are a little to late,, the media and thugs have already convicted the person being charged. The one that was shot, well he also was dis respected by thugs and people with no human values who show their true COLORS..and that surely not white black green red, purple ,and they showed that surely they are not human,,,it's called sick people with no values other than what they want to make it in their drama,,did you get your 10 seconds of fame..Idiots
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