The tragic shooting death of Trayvon Martin at the hands of volunteer night watchman George Zimmerman occurred exactly a year ago today in a Florida suburb. Over the last 365 days, details surrounding the case have slowly been trickling to the public. As new developments continue to arise, there are still a host of unanswered questions.
On the night of Feb. 26, 2012, the 17-year-old Miami resident was walking from a local convenience store back to his father’s home in Sanford, Fla. With snacks in hand, the teenager caught the attention of Zimmerman as he patrolled the gated Retreat at Twin Lakes town home community.
Wary of Martin’s movements, Zimmerman tailed the boy as he radioed into police officials to report what he assumed to be suspicious activity. After being instructed to wait for police to arrive on the scene, Zimmerman approached Martin and an alleged scuffle took place. Zimmerman claims he was left with no choice but to shoot and kill the unarmed Martin after suffering blows to the head and face. The volunteer guardsman evoked Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law to defend his use of force.
As police arrived, Zimmerman was reported bloody and shaken. He was whisked away for treatment along with questioning from authorities. After five hours, police took Zimmerman’s “Stand Your Ground” stance into account and released him. As the case broke on national news, many were outraged despite scant details from the media outlets. Zimmerman was formerly charged two months after the incident, and is currently free on $1 million bail.
The slain high school student’s parents, Tracey Martin, and Sybrina Fulton, emerged amid the chaos demanding justice for their son. With the assistance of family attorney, Benjamin Crump, they bravely appeared on morning talk shows, daytime radio, and other outlets, to call attention to the matter. Rallies and vigils sprung up around the nation and Black leaders like as Rev. Al Sharpton led many of the charges in Florida and other locations.
HipHopWired takes a look back at the Martin case, highlighting key information that stood out over the past year on the following pages.
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Photo: Trayvon Martin, AP
1. The Incident
After returning to his father’s home from a corner store, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin crossed paths with George Zimmerman. An armed volunteer neighborhood watchman, Zimmerman trailed the unarmed Martin for suspicious activity before shooting the teenager dead, following an alleged fist fight.
2. The Media Frenzy Surrounding Martin’s Death
As details were unveiled surrounding the killing, many were angered at earlier reports that Zimmerman was a White man and not mixed-race as later discovered. However, this small snafu in the news did nothing to quell emotional protests and rallies all over the country calling for criminal charges to be brought against Zimmerman.
3. Angela B. Corey Appointed As State Prosecutor, Zimmerman Charged
With the media affixed on the small town of Florida, Gov. Rick Scott moved quickly to appoint Angela B. Corey as the state prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin case on Mar. 23, 2012. Just under a month after, Corey’s office formerly charged George Zimmerman with murder in the second degree. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.
4. Zimmerman Hires Legal Team Who Then Quit In Strange News Conference
Just as it appeared George Zimmerman’s defense team was formed, the high-powered attorneys led by Craig Sonner decided to step down from the case in a strange news conference. Claiming they lost contact with their client, the action followed a series of odd media moves by Zimmerman.
5. Prosecution Releases Photos To The Public
In building the second-degree murder case against George Zimmerman, Special Prosecutor Angela Corey released several pieces of evidence, including photos, and the hoodie Trayvon Martin’s hoodie was wearing the evening of the shooting.
6. Zimmerman Claims To Be Financially Incapable of Handling Legal Fees, Seeks Bond
After reportedly raising over $200,000 in capital from donations to his website, George Zimmerman still faced financial woes and claimed to lack the proper finances to move forward with his case. He sought bond due to his financial situation, and received testimony from family to reaffirm his claims that he was financially struggling.
7. Zimmerman’s Bond Revoked, Wife Shellie Zimmerman Faces Perjury Charges
George Zimmerman was ordered to return to prison 48 hours after bond was revoked, because the courts believe he was disingenuous at an earlier bond hearing when his family and attorney claimed that he was broke. His wife, Shellie Zimmerman, was also arrested for giving false testimony and later pleaded not guilty.
8. New Cases Reignites Fire On “Stand Your Ground” Law & Its Racial Implications
The Trayvon Martin case made Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law a national topic of discussion, and the law has since drawn scrutiny for its ambiguity and alleged bias towards Black people. Recent cases like Jordan Russell Davis, a 17-year-old Black teen who was shot by a white man at a gas station while unarmed, and Trevor Dooley, a 71-year-old Black man who was found guilty of manslaughter for shooting a White neighbor, reaffirmed claims from onlookers who cite an underlined racial bias in the law.
9. Zimmerman Sues NBC For Defamation of Character
This past December, George Zimmerman filed a law suit against NBC for its editing of the now infamous 9-1-1 tape, claiming it made him sound like a “racist and predatory villain.” He is suing for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and seeks unspecified damages as well as a trial by jury. Considering Zimmerman’s past financial woes during this case, we wonder if this is mere coincidence.
10. Zimmerman Denied Delay of Trial
One year later, George Zimmerman continues his attempts to delay a proper trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin. This time he cites poor finances, and even cites his 105-pound weight gain as a legitimate reason to delay the trial.
