With the Trayvon Martin case proceeding, The Daily Beast has uncovered details that George Zimmerman gave police just days after killing Martin on Feb. 26. According to a law enforcement source not directly related to the case, Zimmerman said in his statement that Martin's final words after being shot were, "Okay, you got it.”
The source, who told The Daily Beast that he believes Zimmerman's account, says that Zimmerman told his story to three different law enforcement agencies: the Sanford Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Justice. However, the source said that Zimmerman has yet to speak with special prosecutor Angela Corey.
According to Zimmerman's account, Martin confronted him after realizing that Zimmerman was following him—despite a 911 dispatcher's instructions not to do so. Zimmerman alleges that Martin attacked him, beat him down, and attempted to smother him. The source says that Zimmerman felt he had no choice but to discharge his 9mm pistol, striking Martin once in the chest with a hollow-point round.
The source added that Martin's last words were, "Okay, you got it," which he uttered twice before falling face-down and dying. Zimmerman says he didn't realize Martin was seriously injured because he pounced on top of the 17-year-old after he hit the ground. Police arrived, took his weapon and took him into custody.
Per the source, Sanford police investigators grilled Zimmerman three times about the incident. During the third and final questioning, Zimmerman was taken to the scene of the crime and asked to recreate the incident. According to the source, they told Zimmerman they didn't buy his story.
Trayvon Martin's father, Tracy Martin, says that police told him his son's last words were, "You got me." Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump doesn't believe Zimmerman or the police, and says it's still unclear whether or not Martin threw the first punch.
According to Crump, even if Martin did throw the first punch, he had every right to defend himself from the stranger following him. He added, "We believe that Trayvon went to his grave not knowing who this strange man was that was approaching and confronting him."
Do you buy Zimmerman and this other source's version of what transpired that night, or is all of this news conveniently seeping out before Zimmerman's bond hearing to make him seem like the victim?
[via The Daily Caller]
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