Robert Zimmerman, father of George Zimmerman, spoke publicly for the first time in an exclusive interview with My Fox 35 News in Orlando, Florida. In the nineteen minute interview, Zimmerman’s father went on the defensive saying that it was Martin, not his son, who was the aggressor. In fact, papa Zimmerman says Trayvon beat his son for more than a minute before trying to defend himself.
Geraldo Rivera has issued a public apology for his explosive comments about Trayvon Martin's hoodie. Martin, an unarmed teenager, was shot dead by a self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer in late February. His death and the controversial police handling of the case have sparked outrage across the country. Rivera added to the uproar on Friday when he said that Martin was partially responsible for his own death because he had been wearing a hoodie when he was killed. "I'll bet you money, if he didn't have that hoodie on, that nutty neighborhood watch guy wouldn't have responded in that violent and aggressive way," he said.
In a bizarre turn of events, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell interviewed an empty chair on his program Monday night, after scheduled guest Craig Sonner reportedly fled from an MSNBC studio in Orlando just moments before the show began. Sonner represents George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watchman who shot and killed 17-year-old Florida resident Trayvon Martin in February. His appearance on O'Donnell's program would have been just the latest in a string of high-profile media interviews over the past several days, as he's attempted to shift the narrative surrounding the case. In previous conversations, Sonner has continually insisted that the shooting was motivated not by race, but was instead a matter of self-defense -- though the attorney has declined to answer several questions about the specifics of his client's defense.
SANFORD, FL (RNN) - Sanford, FL, city manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. told reporters Tuesday that local officials will create an independent review system for complaints against the police department. The move was spurred by nationwide outrage over the lack of an arrest in the Trayvon Martin case. Martin, 17, was shot to death Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed watch captain in the neighborhood where his father's fiancee lives.
A witness has come forward to give some first-hand insight into the final moments of Trayvon Martin‘s life, msnbc.com reports. Mary Cutcher said she and her roommate saw George Zimmerman on top of Trayvon and made no attempts to administer CPR.
Joe Oliver, long-time friend of George Zimmerman, 28, the neighborhood watch captain who killed 17-year old Trayvon Martin in a vigilante-style execution because he looked suspicious Walking While Black, wants everyone to know that his friend “George” is not racist and that he cried his eyes out after murdering Trayvon in cold-blood, reports the Chicago Tribune. Oliver, who is Black, says that Zimmerman, a White Hispanic, is being maligned in the media and the entire story has not been told: He couldn’t stop crying. He’s a caring human being,” said Oliver, 53. “I mean, he took a man’s life and he has no idea what to do about it. He’s extremely remorseful about it.”
LeBron James tweeted a picture of the Miami Heat wearing hoodies, with their heads bowed in support of Trayvon Martin, the slain teenager whose killing has become a national news story. His Heat teammate, Dwayne Wade, also tweeted a picture of himself wearing a hoodie. The tweet from the NBA superstar comes days after the Million Hoodie March, during which protesters wore hoodies to show solidarity with Martin's family. Pictures of people in hoodies in solidarity have been flooding social networking sites.
Geraldo Rivera provoked outrage on Friday when he said that slain teenager Trayvon Martin was partially responsible for his death because he was wearing a hoodie. The Fox News host later revealed that even his own son was dismayed by the comments. Speaking on Friday's "Fox and Friends," Rivera said, ""I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was." Martin was unarmed when he was shot dead by a self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer named George Zimmerman in late February. His death has become a national tragedy, fueled by the police's controversial handling of the case.
(RNN) – President Barack Obama and high school students in Florida, among others, are making the slaying of teenager Trayvon Martin a personal matter. The teenager was shot and killed in a gated community in Sanford, FL, last week when neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman mistook him for a potential intruder. "When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids," Obama said. "I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that investigate every aspect of this … My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - Trayvon Martin supporters are being asked to gather at 4 p.m today outside Tower City in downtown Cleveland. Martin, 17, was shot and killed, in Sanford, FL late last month. According to police George Zimmerman, 28, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain, shot Martin in self-defense.
When I see the evolution of the case of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old boy who was killed by a night watchman under suspicious circumstances, I am both impressed and concerned. I am impressed that the world has come together to find justice for Trayvon. His death will not be in vain; for, I am sure there is a legislator who will be able to more readily pass an important gun control law as a result of Trayvon’s sacrifice. His death may save quite a few lives.
Law enforcement officials in Sanford, Fla., investigating last month's shooting of an unarmed black teen by self-appointed neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman say they may have missed a possible racist remark made by Zimmerman to a 911 operator seconds before he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The officials made the admission to ABC News after revealing that Zimmerman can be heard on a recording of one of the 911 calls made on the night of the shooting saying what some people think sounds like "f***ing coons" under his breath.