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Police: Zimmerman says Trayvon decked him with one blow, then began hammering his head
With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk several times, leaving him bloody and battered, authorities have revealed to the Orlando Sentinel.
That is the account Zimmerman gave police, and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say.
Zimmerman has not spoken publicly about what happened, but that night, Feb. 26, and in later meetings he described and re-enacted for police what he says happened.
In his version of events, he had turned around and was walking back to his SUV when Trayvon approached him from behind, the two exchanged words then Trayvon punched him in the nose, sending him to the ground, and began beating him.
Zimmerman told police he shot the teenager in self-defense.
(later in story)
Police have been reluctant to provided details about all their evidence, but this is what they've disclosed to the Sentinel:
Zimmerman was on his way to the grocery store when he spotted Trayvon walking through his gated community.
Trayvon was visiting his father's fianc?e, who lived there. He had been suspended from school in Miami after being found with an empty marijuana baggie. Miami schools have a zero-tolerance policy for drug possession.
Zimmerman called police and reported a suspicious person, describing Trayvon as black, acting strangely and perhaps on drugs.
Zimmerman got out of his SUV to follow Trayvon on foot. When a dispatch employee asked Zimmerman if he was following the 17-year-old, Zimmerman said yes. The dispatcher told Zimmerman he did not need to do that.
There is about a one-minute gap during which police say they're not sure what happened.
Zimmerman told them he lost sight of Trayvon and was walking back to his SUV when Trayvon approached him from the left rear, and they exchanged words.
Trayvon asked Zimmerman if he had a problem. Zimmerman said no and reached for his cell phone, he told police.
Trayvon then said, "Well, you do now" or something similar and punched Zimmerman in the nose.
Zimmerman fell to the ground and Trayvon got on top of him and began slamming his head into the sidewalk, he told police.
Zimmerman began yelling for help.
Several witnesses heard those cries, and there's been a dispute about from whom they came: Zimmerman or Trayvon.
Lawyers for Trayvon's family say it was Trayvon, but police say their evidence indicates it was Zimmerman.
One witnesses, who has since talked to local television news reporters, told police he saw Zimmerman on the ground with Trayvon on top, pounding him and was unequivocal that it was Zimmerman who was crying for help.
Zimmerman then shot Trayvon once in the chest from very close range, according to authorities.
When police arrived less than two minutes later, Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose, had a swollen lip and had bloody lacerations to the back of his head.
Paramedics gave him first aid, but he said no to going to the hospital. He got medical care the next day.
Re: Police: Zimmerman says Trayvon decked him with one blow, then began hammering his head
And no one took any evidence of blood on the ground after questioning this man for his story at the scene?
That or on the clothing or hands of Trayvon for any evidence of beating Zimmerman?
Zuma Zoom
Right? That's CSI 101 (which I have a graduate degree in tyvm). There should be physical evidence to back up the suspect's version of events. They had time to test Trayvon for drugs, they had time to look at his hands and see if he had marks consistant with the story. If no one bothered in this direction, my full stink eye is upon those police.
1) I'm hard pressed to trust the investigative results of a police department that took two days to identify a dead body found with a cell phone on it.
2) And none of this made it onto the 911 tapes?
3) Yes, yes, black men aren't just suspicious, they're also naturally violent. No racism here, nope.
Click me, click me!
The part that sticks out to me is when it states that Zimmerman reached for his cell phone. I say that because the police report states that Zimmerman had his gun in a holster on his waistband. Did Trayvon see the gun (while Zimmerman was reaching for his cell phone) and react to the potential threat of the gun?
I agree about it not jiving with the 911 calls. It also contradicts what Trayvon Martin's girlfriend said she overheard while on the phone with him.
And this is relevant to the story because....
You know. Is there a firm time line?
I would be curious to know when Trayvon left the store and when Zimmer(I can't call him a man)pig made the initial 911 call because it would seem a Zimmerpig is trying to fit a whole lot of happenings into what is probably a slim time line.
I'm just trying to figure out how one randomly decided to punch a dude in the face in the middle of a cell phone conversation with their girlfriend. Or is Zimmerman trying to say that Trayvon called his girlfriend in the middle of assaulting him?
Click me, click me!
Yes and yes if you ask Zimmerpig.
Well kids are pretty attached to their cellphones these days. Seems reasonable.
Oh yes. Clearly, let's turn around and lay the blame on Trayvon. Especially when the dispatcher told Zimmerman to not follow him, yet he blatantly disregarded that and followed him anyway. Especially when there's this one minute gap when the police aren't sure what happened.
Brilliant.
There is one eyewitness named "John" who backs up Zimmerman's account. His comments came out shortly after the incident and made their way back into the news over the last few days.
I'm also wondering why there are no pictures from the hospital of this attack. Zimmerman was attacked by someone whom he subsequently killed and the folks at the hospital didn't take pictures of the wounds they cared for the very next day.
And you know what, the 911 tapes don't comport with this, because 911 Dispatcher tells Zimmerman not to follow Martin, and you can tell from the quality of his voice on the tapes that Zimmerman continued tracking the kid at a quick enough pace to be breathless.
Also, one shot perfectly aimed to be fatal while having your head pounded into the concrete? Well, that Zimmerman must be the Jason Stathem of Neighborhood Watchmen.
In short: Puhhh-leeze.
All these details and witness accounts that keep coming out just piss me off so much more because its flucking EVIDENCE that should be weighed in a court of law in a suit against the admitted shooter. WTF type of process is this that we have to save up enough to make sure there is an iron clad case before you can even charge the guy. He said he shot him, so freaking arrest him. If it was in self defense, if Zimmerman was attacked-all of that is what is used in a defense case its not a way to avoid charges.
Im also not a legal expert but I dont even see how the 'Make My Day' type of law could even be plausible in a place that both people have a legal right to be. I cant shoot my husband and claim he invaded my house with 'Make My Day'. Trayvon had just as much right to be there as Zimmerman.
Just saw GZ attorney on HLN and he said GZ did not go to the hopsital. So GZ was supposedly tackled to the ground by a 140lb kid, head slammed into walkway repeatedly, had a bloody/broken nose and a gash to his head but he did not go to the hospital. Interesting.
Also if Trayvon had attacked GZ, wouldn't Trayvon be exercising his rights under the FL stand your ground law to defend himself against a strange guy who was stalking him with a gun?
The article says he got "medical care" the next day, so he either went to a hospital or an urgent care center the next day.
And I totally agree with your second point.
According to the police report, he was given first aid and cleared by the Sanford Fire Department.
ETA: If he was cleared by Sanford FD, it makes me wonder how bad he was really hurt. The police report does not say that Zimmerman refused treatment.
I'm obviously no kind of medical professional, especially as ER is no longer shown on TNT twice a day. But one would think if you'd had your head bashed into a sidewalk numerous times it would take more than a penlight flicked in your eyeballs to determine whether you were all good, yes?
Click me, click me!
According to the police report EMT/FD was on the scene because of the report of gun shots. If they provided first aid to Zimmerman, there should be a medical record of the care they provided, what exactly was wrong with him, and what he reported to them happened.
Right? Last person I saw with their head repeatedly bashed into concrete left that fight in an ambulance and wasn't back in school for weeks.
So in short (if this is true & that's clearly a VERY big "if"), in Florida if a man with a gun starts following you & you punch him in the nose, you have now behaved violently & menacingly enough for him to shoot you dead at point blank range. That shooting however is not violent or menacing enough to even get him handcuffed.
Sweet.
"This ribbon has been reported." - lovesnina
According to the police report, he was handcuffed and taken to the local police station where he was questioned.
I stand corrected, however with all the changing stories coming out of the Sanford PD it's hard to keep straight.
"This ribbon has been reported." - lovesnina
It confirms the parents statement that he was suspended for a non violent violation of school policy helping to convince doubters of who was the agressor