RIP Trayvon Martin - Petition

MIAMI ? It was raining the night of Feb. 26 when George Zimmerman, a crime watch volunteer, set out to patrol his neighborhood in his sport utility vehicle, as was his habit in recent weeks. Several break-ins had been reported in the area, and Mr. Zimmerman was especially alert.
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He spotted a young black teenager wearing a sweatshirt, with the hood draped over his head. Mr. Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic man, trailed him a bit. Then he called 911, the first of seven calls from Mr. Zimmerman and panicked neighbors that begin to flesh out the details in the death of Trayvon Martin, 17, whom Mr. Zimmerman shot. The police released the recordings to local reporters late Friday night after nearly three weeks of pressure from Trayvon?s parents and their supporters.

The 911 calls from a gated community in Sanford, north of Orlando, culminate with a faint voice in the distance crying and pleading for help. A gunshot is heard, and then silence. Mr. Zimmerman told the police that he had shot Trayvon in self-defense, after the two got into a fight and Mr. Zimmerman wound up on the ground. There have been no arrests in the case. The unarmed teenager, who carried Skittles and a can of iced tea, was walking to the home of his father?s girlfriend from a convenience store.

?This guy looks like he?s up to no good or on drugs or something,? Mr. Zimmerman told dispatch, in his initial call. ?It?s raining and he?s just walking around, looking about.? Mr. Zimmerman continued: ?He?s here now just looking at all the houses. Now he?s just staring at me.? Then he added a second later: ?He?s coming to check me out. He?s got something in his hands. I don?t know what his deal is. Can you get an officer over here??

Then he got out of the car with his licensed 9-millimeter pistol, and a worried dispatcher asked: ?Are you following him? O.K., you don?t need to do that.?

At that point, Trayvon ran, and Mr. Zimmerman continued to follow. The dispatcher told him to wait for the police. A suggestion was made that Mr. Zimmerman and the police should meet by a mailbox. But then Mr. Zimmerman changed his mind. ?Actually, could you have him call me and I?ll tell him where I?m at.?

The next spate of calls came from anxious neighbors. A faint cry for help and terrified howls can be heard in the background. Neighbors said they had seen two men nearby in the dark. They reported hearing a gunshot.

?A guy yelled, ?Help! Oh, my God,? ? one man told the dispatcher. ?There is two guys in the backyard with flashlights. There is a black guy down and it looks like he?s been shot and he?s dead.?

One caller said: ?I think they?re yelling help, but I don?t know. Send someone quickly, please.?

It is not clear from the audio whether one or two shots was fired. And, with the voice muffled in the distance, it is difficult to know which of the two men is crying out for help.

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