Video shows handcuffed Florida shooter Zimmerman
SANFORD, Fla. » Trayvon Martin’s family has seized on a police video of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, saying it does not show the injuries Zimmerman claims he suffered before fatally shooting the unarmed black teenager.
The 90-second video shows police searching a handcuffed Zimmerman before he is led into the Sanford police department. Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self-defense. He said Martin attacked him as he was walking back to his vehicle after pursuing the teen.
Zimmerman’s attorney, Craig Sonner, has said his client’s nose was broken during the fight. Martin’s family has questioned Zimmerman’s story, and their attorney said the video proved Zimmerman should be held accountable.
"This certainly doesn’t look like a man who police said had his nose broken and his head repeatedly smashed into the sidewalk," attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. "George Zimmerman has no apparent injuries in this video, which dramatically contradicts his version of the events of Feb. 26."
Zimmerman said he was pursuing the 17-year-old Martin because the teen was acting suspiciously and looked like he was on drugs. He said he lost sight of the teenager and Martin attacked him as he headed back to his sport utility vehicle.
Martin’s supporters have said the shooting was racially motivated and they have called for Zimmerman to face charges. Zimmerman’s father is white and his mother is Hispanic.
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In an interview with Orlando station WOFL FOX 35 that aired Wednesday night, Zimmerman’s father, Robert Zimmerman, said that despite dispatchers telling his son to stop following Martin, he kept going so he could get an address for police to check. He said his son was suspicious because of several break-ins in the area and thought it was strange for someone to be walking between the town homes on a rainy night.
The Orlando Sentinel, citing anonymous sources, has reported that Zimmerman told police Martin grabbed his head and banged it several times against the sidewalk. A statement from Sanford police said the newspaper’s story was "consistent" with evidence turned over to prosecutors.
Sonner has said the gash on the back of Zimmerman’s head probably was serious enough for stitches, but he waited too long for treatment so the wound was already healing.
Since the shooting, Zimmerman has gone into hiding. He and his family have gotten death threats.
Martin’s supporters, including a host of outspoken celebrities and civil rights leaders who have appeared on television for the past two weeks, don’t believe Zimmerman’s story. They want him prosecuted.