Trayvon Martin might indeed have been the victim of a hate crime if the voice recordings from the 911 tapes can be believed.
In what might turn out to be the most inflammatory piece of evidence against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain seemed to have uttered a racial slur after expressing his frustration that the “a–holes always get away.”
Zimmerman first described Martin as “suspicious” and appearing “on drugs” in a conversation with the Sanford Police dispatcher as he tailed the teenager. The call was placed shortly before the shooting and there are many who have listened to the 911 call and believe they heard Zimmerman utter the words “f—— coons.” Others say they do not hear the word “coon.” If an investigation proves that the words were spoken, the shooting death could then transform into a federal hate crime charge as well as murder.
Zimmerman’s attorney Craig Sonner says his client denies using the slur. “I don’t believe he did utter a racial slur. I asked if he uses racial slurs. And he has denied that. And as well as — he’s been involved in a mentorship program which I think the funny was that he actually mentored two African-American — he was a mentor to African-American boy age of 14 and his wife was a mentor to the 13- year-old girl from, you know, via their parents.”
At the large rally in Sanford, Fla., on March 22, before about 10,000 people, a couple of speakers said the racial slur uttered by Zimmerman should help investigators determine Zimmerman s state of mind and motive in the fatal confrontation with Trayvon and should expedite his prosecution.
The U.S. Department of Justice, Florida Governor Rick Scott, and Florida prosecutor Angela Corey are conducting separate investigations the case.
Do you believe Zimmerman used a racial slur to describe Trayvon? Listen to the 911 recording below and draw own conclusions.
– terry shropshire
