Trayvon Martin Case: Police Wanted Warrant To Arrest George Zimmerman, Prosecutor Says

The Huffington Post | By Gene Demby | Posted: 03/28/2012 1:19 am Updated: 03/28/2012 12:39 pm


The special prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin case said that the Sanford Police Department asked the state attorney's office for an arrest warrant to charge George Zimmerman early in the investigation, but the state's attorney's office decided to wait.

The Miami Herald reported that the local police initially went to the Seminole State Attorney with a request to file charges and the police report labeled the case as "homicide/negligent manslaughter."

"The state attorney impaneled a grand jury, but before anything else could be done, the governor stepped in and asked us to pick it up in mid-stream," Angela Corey, the special prosecutor on the case said.

Chris Serino, the lead detective on the case, expressed doubts around Zimmerman's account of the shooting, according to ABC News. Serino filed an affidavit on the night of the shooting in which he said that he was unconvinced of Zimmerman's version of events.

Serino told MSNBC Tuesday night that he was not at liberty to discuss the case, but he feels very encouraged by the new investigation into the shooting, and he was "looking forward to the truth coming out."

Martin, 17, hailed from Miami Gardens, Fla. He was staying with his father in Sanford, an Orlando suburb, when he was shot and killed on Feb. 26 by Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman was never charged or arrested in the shooting, which has sparked a national uproar.

Another source in the state attorney's office told the Herald that the prosecutor's office routinely receives requests for warrants. "That doesn't mean we file charges right away," the source said. "We investigate to see if it's appropriate."

"If you go with what was reported in the press the first night, there would have been an arrest right away, but obviously something gave investigators pause," the source said to the Herald.

Bill Lee, Sanford's police chief, had previously given a very different account of the investigation. He said that his department had neither the evidence nor legal grounds to arrest Zimmerman, who he said was legally carrying the concealed 9 mm pistol the night of the shooting, and said Zimmerman had the right to defend himself with deadly force.

Lee had come under considerable criticism for the way his department handled the investigation, and stepped down from his post last week following a no-confidence vote from the city commission.

Norm Wolfinger, the state attorney who was initially handling the investigation, removed himself from the case last week "with the intent of toning down the rhetoric and preserving the integrity of this investigation." Gov. Rick Scott replaced him with Corey.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/28/trayvon-martin-case-polic_n_1384301.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl25|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D147152

Interesting

I also cant wait for some 'truth' to come out , be addressed, so we can all move forward from here,,,,

Portraying the victim in a negative light to try to justify within themselves that this was "good kill" is basically the white racists trying to work through the fact they know they could do something similar or want to, IMO

It works the other way too portraying him as an innocent little boy? He was most definitely not.

He was an unarmed teen.

That is the facts.

Since Zimmerman had already assaulted a police officer before this incident I would say he had violent tendencies.

At this point with all the assumption about what could have happened.
I don't think he public will accept anything less than Zimmerman being arrested, found guilty of murder, and sentenced to life in prison.

Was it a black police officer? Or is he just plain anti-establishment? If he is to be deemed racist, we need to collect evidence and get to the bottom of this pronto.

THOSE ARE the facts..Geez

At this point the truth is irrelevant. If Zimmerman is not tried, found guilty and hung by a rope there will be riots. No doubt about it.

No lynchings, as we are not speaking of our white ancestors here but an arrest will be good and at least some kind of process.

I don't buy the racist tag, only idiots are fast to jump on that conclusion.

Not jumping to that conclusion is a good way to be.

I know I am that way myself.

Yup.

Glad that makes you happy.

Funniest thing I've heard all day! Thank you!

Ay caramba! No somos estúpidos.

or just the real racists...

Police surveillance video of George Zimmernman after he killed Trayvon Martin shows no blood or bruises, no grass stains, no injuries, nothing unusual to the plain eye, despite recent claims that there was a fight when Trayvon supposedly attacked him, despite recent claims Zimmermen suffered a broken nose and head injuries after Trayvon Martin took him down, punched him in the nose, and pounded his head into the pavement.

A police report states Zimmerman’s back was wet and he was covered in grass stains. Also, that he had been treated by medical technicians at the scene.

Of course, the Sanford Police did not send Zimmerman to the hospital or to a doctor, did nothing to document his condition, and have not refuted his claims of being injured.

Of course.