A probable cause affidavit filed in the case of Florida vs. Zimmerman indicates investigators believe George Zimmerman thought Trayvon Martin was going to commit a crime and followed him so he wouldn't get away. The ensuing scuffle lead to Zimmerman shooting Martin in the chest.
Investigators for the Jacksonville State Attorney's Office T.C. O'Steen and K.D. Gilbreath filed an affidavit of probable cause in the murder case of Trayvon Martin, outlining the role of George Zimmerman in what has become a 2nd degree murder charge.
Among the facts the two found were that Zimmerman "profiled" Martin, who "was not committing a crime." Zimmerman was said to have felt Martin did not belong in the gated Sanford, Florida community and called the police.
(Zimmerman lived there, and Martin was staying at his father's girlfriend's house at the Retreat At Twin Lakes. Martin, a junior in high school was on a suspension from Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in the Miami Gardens area of N.E. Miami near the Broward county line.)
During the call, Zimmerman made reference to people he felt had committed and gotten away with crimes in the neighborhood. Later, he said, "These assh_les, they always get away," and also said "These f_cking punks."
During this time, Martin was on the phone with a friend and was afraid and "attempted to run home" while being followed by Zimmerman, who according to the affidavit "didn't want the person he falsely assumed was going to commit a crime to get away before the police arrived."
Zimmerman got out his vehicle and followed Martin even after the police dispatcher told him not to follow, they say.
A struggle ensued and witnesses heard calls for help, and some were recorded on 911 calls to police. The affidavit says Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton reviewed the 911 calls and "identified the voice crying for help as Trayvon Martin's voice."
Zimmerman admitted shooting Martin, A fired bullet casing was identified as coming from Zimmerman's gun and the medical examiner confirmed Martin died of a gunshot wound to the chest.
The April 11th two page document signed by the two veteran law enforcement officers says they reviewed the evidence available, including audio recordings, reports, phone records, photographs, and videos and presented their conclusions in the affidavit "for a determination of probable cause for second degree murder."
They added that the facts presented in the affidavit are not a "complete recitation of all the pertinent facts and evidence."
State's Probable Cause Affidavit
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