A three-page police report contains new details about the shooting death of Sanford, Fla. teenager Trayvon Martin.
It discloses that George Zimmerman, who shot Martin on Feb. 26, was in custody on the scene and told police that he had tried, in vain, to find someone to help him with his own injuries.
The report, filed by Sanford police officer Ricardo Ayala and published online Tuesday by the Chicago Tribune, indicates that there were at least six witnesses — three men and three women — who saw or heard some part of the events that led to Martin’s death. They ranged in age from 19 to 56, and included five people described as “white.” The race of the sixth witness was listed as “O,” meaning “other.”
The report notes that Martin was six feet tall when he died, compared with the 5-foot, 9-inch tall Zimmerman, the self-appointed neighborhood watchman who killed him after what he told police was a physical altercation that Martin started. (RELATED: TheDC’s complete coverage of Trayvon Martin)
Martin’s weight was recorded as 160 pounds. The report does not list Zimmerman’s weight.
It also describes Zimmerman as “in custody” when Officer Ayala arrived on the scene. “Upon arrival Ofc. T. Smith had a white male, later identified as George Zimmerman, in custody,” Ayala wrote.
Officer Timothy Smith, in his written report, notes that “Zimmerman complied with all my commands and was secured in handcuffs.”
“Zimmerman was placed in the rear of my police vehicle and was given first aid. … I overheard him state ‘I was yelling for someone to help me, but no one would help me.’ … Once Zimmerman was cleared by the [Sanford Fire Department], he was transported to the Sanford Police Department.”
“Zimmerman was placed in an interview room at [Sanford Police Department], where he was interviewed by Investigator D. Singleton.”
The report also notes that officers on the scene administered CPR to Martin, but that fire department rescuers later confirmed his death.
Officer Ayala described Zimmerman’s alleged crime as a violation of Florida statute 782.11, titled “Unnecessary killing to prevent unlawful act.”
“Whoever shall unnecessarily kill another, either while resisting an attempt by such other person to commit any felony, or to do any other unlawful act, or after such attempt shall have failed, shall be deemed guilty of manslaughter, a felony of the second degree,” the law reads.
