With a single punch, Trayvon Martin
decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed
the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman
and slammed his head into the sidewalk several times, leaving him
bloody and battered, authorities have revealed to the Orlando Sentinel. That is the account Zimmerman gave police, and much of it has been corroborated by witnesses, authorities say.


Zimmerman has not spoken publicly about what happened, but that night,
Feb. 26, and in later meetings he described and re-enacted for police
what he says happened. In his version of events, he had turned
around and was walking back to his SUV when Trayvon approached him from
behind, the two exchanged words then Trayvon punched him in the nose,
sending him to the ground, and began beating him. Zimmerman told police he shot the teenager in self-defense.


Civil rights leaders and thousands of others have demanded Zimmerman's
arrest, calling Trayvon a victim of racial profiling and Zimmerman a
vigilante. Trayvon was an unarmed black teenager who had
committed no crime, an innocent who was gunned down while walking back
from a 7-Eleven with nothing more sinister than a package of Skittles
and can of Arizona iced tea. Supporters have held rallies in Sanford, Miami, New York and Tallahassee, calling the case a tragic miscarriage of injustice.

Activist Al Sharpton headlined a rally in Sanford Thursday that drew an estimated 8,000 people. The Rev. Jesse Jackson yesterday spoke at an Eatonville church, where he called Trayvon a martyr.

Another rally is scheduled for 4 p.m. today in Sanford.

Zimmerman has gone into hiding. A fringe group, the New Black Panthers, have offered a $10,000 reward for his capture.

Police have been reluctant to provided details about all their evidence, but this is what they've disclosed to the Sentinel:

Zimmerman was on his way to the grocery store when he spotted Trayvon walking through his gated community.


Trayvon was visiting his father's fiancée, who lived there. He had been
suspended from school in Miami after being found with an empty
marijuana baggie. Miami schools have a zero-tolerance policy for drug
possession. Zimmerman called police and reported a suspicious person, describing Trayvon as black, acting strangely and perhaps on drugs.


Zimmerman got out of his SUV to follow Trayvon on foot. When a dispatch
employee asked Zimmerman if he was following the 17-year-old, Zimmerman
said yes. The dispatcher told Zimmerman he did not need to do that. There is about a one-minute gap during which police say they're not sure what happened.


Zimmerman told them he lost sight of Trayvon and was walking back to
his SUV when Trayvon approached him from the left rear, and they
exchanged words. Trayvon asked Zimmerman if he had a problem. Zimmerman said no and reached for his cell phone, he told police.

Trayvon then said, "Well, you do now" or something similar and punched Zimmerman in the nose.

Zimmerman fell to the ground and Trayvon got on top of him and began slamming his head into the sidewalk, he told police.

Zimmerman began yelling for help.

Several witnesses heard those cries, and there's been a dispute about from whom they came: Zimmerman or Trayvon.

Lawyers for Trayvon's family say it was Trayvon, but police say their evidence indicates it was Zimmerman.


One witnesses, who has since talked to local television news reporters,
told police he saw Zimmerman on the ground with Trayvon on top,
pounding him and was unequivocal that it was Zimmerman who was crying
for help. Zimmerman then shot Trayvon once in the chest from very close range, according to authorities.


When police arrived less than two minutes later, Zimmerman was bleeding
from the nose, had a swollen lip and had bloody lacerations to the back
of his head. Paramedics gave him first aide but he said no to going to the hospital. He got medical care the next day.

The Department of Justice last week opened a civil rights investigation into what happened, and Gov. Rick Scott appointed a special prosecutor.


It's not clear whether the special prosecutor, Angela Corey, the state
attorney for Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, will have Zimmerman
arrested, announce that there's not enough evidence to file a
manslaughter charge or present evidence to a grand jury.rstutzman@tribune.com or 407-650-6394.


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