The shooting of 17 year old Trayvon Martin in February had repercussions that were and will be felt far beyond the normal confines of a murder case. The shooting of the black, unarmed teen challenged a Florida law, brought together the Sanford community, and begged the question: is racial profiling an all too real part of American society? Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who took Trayvon's life and has been charged with second-degree murder, says no.
Zimmerman's legal team has released his written statements and audio and video interviews with investigators, which recount the February 26th incident from Zimmerman's perspective. In the documents, Zimmerman says that he was attacked by Mr. Martin, who was walking home from a convenience store with an iced tea and a bag of skittles. However, police records reveal that Zimmerman was following Trayvon, who Zimmerman said looked suspicious. After calling the police, and being told to stop following the teen, Zimmerman says he pulled over, and that's when Trayvon confronted him. He also claims that Trayvon reached for his firearm, punched him in the face, and banged his head on the ground.
With only one side of the story available to the public and to the police, it is improbable that the truth will be uncovered. The facts are, however, that the 17 year old African-American athlete was unarmed, and was walking home from a store when the 28 year old began following him. The rest of the night is a blur, and in this case, Lady Justice truly is blind.
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