By D.L. Chandler
NEWS ONE
The curious case surrounding the killing of African American 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in a gated Florida community has the family of the teen questioning the circumstances that led to his untimely death at the hands of an armed neighborhood watch captain. The twist to this story? The watch captain is a white man. Martin’s family has filed a lawsuit today, according to the Miami-Herald, and is demanding the arrest of the captain.
Trayvon Martin’s life ended last month during the NBA All-Star Weekend. His brisk walk to a convenience store to buy candy for his 13-year-old brother turned into a confrontation with the armed captain. Martin, who lived in Miami, was visiting his father and step-mother in the gated retreat town homes at Twin Lakes in Sanford, some 20 miles north of Orlando.
While details are sketchy at best, as Martin was returning home, watch captain George Zimmerman reportedly confronted the teen after a 911 call went out of a suspicious person walking in the neighborhood. While waiting for police to arrive, Martin family lawyer Ben Crump says Zimmerman approached the boy, who was near the sidewalk near his father’s home.
When police officials arrived, Martin was dead by way of a single gunshot wound and Crump says the boy was unarmed. “What do the police find in his pocket? Skittles,” Crump said. “A can of Arizona ice tea in his jacket pocket and Skittles in his front pocket for his brother Chad.”
Crump believes race is a factor in the killing. The family intends to hold a press conference, where they demand Zimmerman’s arrest.
Leave a Comment