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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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Unfortunately, American's blacks have become a joke in modern society. Don't you want to bring a bunch of these gangstas home for dinner??
If Zimmerman had really had a broken nose he would have been bleeding profusely and would have needed medical care. In fact it would have been in Zimmerman's favor to have gone to the ER because then there would have been a medical confirmation and documentation showing his nose was broken and evidence that he had sustained traumatic injuries that may have backed up his claims.. but he refused to be taken to an ER because he didn't have any injuries that would have supported his claim he was fighting for his life .. Zimmerman provoked a fight with an unharmed person and in the middle of it Zimmerman pulled out his gun and killed that unarmed person. That's not self defense that's manslaughter ! Zimmerman got that gash on his head because Martin was the one who was fighting for his life from a man who was following him and then pulled a gun on him. All Zimmerman had to do was stay in his damn car , not follow the kid and let the real cops check it out. Instead this block watch idiot Zimmerman pulled out a gun and killed one of the residents just trying to go home. Everything about Zimmerman screams coward !
WTF Zimmerman .. a block watch sitter isn't suppose to gun down the residents !! Give this guy a Darwin award
prime#s
So you were there? You filmed the entire event? You have glaring undocumented evidence?
A broken nose doe not have to bleed profusely as you would like to believe.
Obioulsy you have NO clue or you would not have made that error in statement. Anyone who has followed this story to any degree KNOWS that Trayvon lived primarily with his mother in another city and he and his father were "visiting" his fathers fiance.
So what is your point? Just because he is a coward does not mean he broke the law. If anything he followed the law of nature and self preservation.
IF you KNEW about Darwin then you would not use that term. After all, Darwin implies survival of the fittest and Trayvon is the one who died. Usually Darwin awards are given to those who die out of being stupid or foolish.
Apparently you have issue with authority with the way you slander the term Neighborhood Watch person. Just remember that not all concerned citizens are members of Neighborhood Watch. Especially in Florida, citizens are permitted to Stand Their Ground and many of those citizens do pack.
There are hundreds of articles about the Trayvon Martin tragedy. The outrage is not because a white man killed a black man — but because the Sanford police department covered up the murder.
- What if the police department were the NYPD?
- What if the victim had been kidnapped and threatened with death by NYPD detectives?
- What if the victim requested protection form the FBI?
-What if the victim posted a Youtube video revealing felonies by a NY State Supreme Court Judge, and NAMED the people who were going to kill him?
-What if the victim was then bludgeoned to death on a deserted street, miles from his home?
-What if the ER doctor lied about the cause of death, claiming the victim died of an “aneurism” with “no trauma”.
-What if NYPD detectives illegally removed the body from the hospital hours after death and sent it to the morgue for cremation, claiming claiming “natural death”.
-What if the Medical Examiner contradicted the NYPD and the ER and ruled the cause of death “Blunt force trauma with skull fractures and brain injuries” & the manner of death “suspicious”.
-What if the NYPD denied all FOIL requests for information?
-What if the Commissioner of the NYPD ignored letters requesting an explanation?
- What if THEN – as in the Trayvon Martin case – the police refused to investigate?
Those are the precise circumstances of the death of corruption whistleblower Sunny Sheu, yet not ONE mainstream media venue has reported this story.
Start an online petition at change.org. That is how the Trayvon Martin injustice went viral.
I will look up Sunny Sheu, sounds interesting.
The more I look into this the more I have to believe Zimmerman. Seriously people why is it so hard to believe. People SAW Treyvon hitting GZ. So to say "ha he faked his injuries" is total garbage. WITNESSES prove otherwise so this story of how some guy beat his head against a brick wall doesnt matter. The ATM camera proved otherwise just as THE WITNESSES HERE. It's now shown that he OBVIOUSLY has a large gash on his head, a busted nose and perhaps blood on the front of his jacket but still that doesn't sem to matter. He saw a suspicious kid in a gated community who then takes off running so he follows to find out where he went. He then proceeds to walk back to his truck where he gets confronted by Treyvon who as it comes out more and more seems to be a thug wannabe. Apparently he punched a bus driver, referees fights, is a small time drug dealer and is not this sweet innocent child. He could have EASILY made it home but it appears he waited for Zimmerman to come walking back to his truck and then got into an altercation with him over it. Started pummeling the guy because he didn't like this GZ "punk" disrespecting him and then he got shot because GZ feared he was going for his gun. ALL the facts I have seen support this so far but people want to make a case of how he got out of his car. So what he was WATCHING where the kid went and was on a personal errand and NOT doing NW. It seems to me he had ZERO intention of an altercation. Listen to the WHOLE UNDOCTORED 911 call all. That alone tells me Treyvon HAD to confront him. Based upon where he lived there is no way George could have confronted him. Sad part is if what I say above is proven to be 100% true people will STILL want GZ executed.... Truly sad....
What is "truly sad" is that you sound like you "believe" yourself....
Zimmerman's story has no foundation.....
What on the "un-doctored 911 call" changes ANYTHING???
Jo-An-4354969
Changes zero.. facts are facts. Witnesses saw and heard what they saw and heard. The law is the law and WILL be followed. What is SAD is that no matter which way this ends up there will be riots. Thanks Al and Jesse.
Zimmeran's STORY as you put it so far has been backed up every single time it tries to get shot down. Yes at this point I do believe him. He WAS injured and WITNESSES confirmed it was Treyvon doing it. Did Trevyon's Dad try and scream something to the fact that because the video shows he wasn't injured he must have murdered his son? Well now that it is shown he WAS injured now what? The WHOLE call changes the fact that it shows he wasn't following Treyvon any longer. Is everyone here really that dense? He ran looking where he went and Tray assaulted him. FEARING for his life (which I probably would have too) he shot him. It's that simple all. Why is everyone trying to to make this some grand conspiracy when there just isn't one and the FACT show this to everyone who will take 5 seconds to look at them and not jump to some wild conclusion.
Evidence will show that Zimmerman acted and or was influenced by faulty/skewed information.
Past and current investigations have proven that crime statistics released by the DOJ were skewed heavily against Minorities at the County and local levels in order to gain Federal and State funding. The DOJ was unaware of this and simply reported them in good faith.
Nothing points to Zimmerman being a racist. However he may have acted on faulty information that itself was falsified in many cases by actual racists.
Really Ben? Would that be the BODY counts?
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/race.cfm
I guess you have to find someone to blame. The information George was ACTING on was what was happening in his immediate neighborhood. Repeated break-ins and property damage ring any bells? The few that were caught with the goods WERE teenage Black males. That is NOT a reporting issue based on third hand erroneous information.