5/22/2012

"I Know He Was Scared": Trayvon Martin’s Girlfriend Recounts Phone Call Right Before Fatal Shooting

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Friday, May 18, 2012 Whole Show

"I Know He Was Scared": Trayvon Martin’s Girlfriend Recounts Phone Call Right Before Fatal Shooting

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Florida prosecutors have released a trove of documents, photographs and audio recordings revealing new details about the night George Zimmerman shot dead the unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. We broadcast excerpts of the chilling recording of a prosecutor’s interview with Trayvon’s girlfriend. She and Trayvon were talking on the phone in the moments leading up to his death. "I know he was scared," the girl recounts. "I told him, 'Keep running!' ... He told me the guy was getting real close to him. And the next I hear is [Trayvon saying], 'Why are you following me for?' … I heard this man... say, 'What are you doing around here?' ... And I call Trayvon, 'Trayon, what's going on? What’s going on?’ ... Then, I am calling him and he didn’t answer...You could hear someone had bumped Trayvon...I was still screaming, I was saying, 'Trayvon! Trayvon!'...And then the next thing the phone just shut off." [Includes rush transcript]

Guest:

Benjamin Jealous, President and CEO of NAACP.

Rush Transcript

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Transcript

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We turn now to the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The office of special prosecutor Anglea Corey released a trove of documents late last night revealing new details about the night George Zimmerman shot dead the teenager in Sanford, Florida. The evidence indicates a fight occurred between the two men but police determined the deadly encounter between Zimmerman and Martin was "ultimately avoidable" if Zimmerman had "remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement." The police also concluded, "there is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter." Among the released documents was Trayvon Martin’s autopsy. It showed Martin had died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired from intermediate range. In addition, traces of marijuana were found in his blood.

New photos and medical records show Zimmerman suffered a broken nose, bruises and cuts on the back of his head. The new documents also show Sanford police received an anonymous tip less than two full days after the shooting before it became widely known to the public. The caller refused to identify herself but said that Zimmerman "...has a racist ideologies and... is fully capable of instigating a confrontation that could have escalated to the point of him having to use deadly force." The caller was never tracked down. In a few moments we will be joined by NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous, but first, we turn to a chilling recording of the police interviewing Trayvon Martin’s girlfriend. She and Trayvon were talking on the phone in the moments leading up to his death.

PROSECUTOR: I want to focus on that day, February 26, when you know obviously he was unfortunately killed, and I’m sorry to ask you about
this. But did you have conversations with him that day?

GIRLFRIEND: Yes.

PROSECUTOR: At some point did you find out that Trayvon was going to the store?

GIRLFRIEND: Around 6 something.

PROSECUTOR: OK, and did he tell you what store he was going to?

GIRLFRIEND: No. He just said [inaudible] store.

PROSECUTOR: OK, did he say why he was going to the store?

GIRLFRIEND: Yes.

PROSECUTOR: What did he say he was going to the store for?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah, his little brother. Some food and some drink.

PROSECUTOR: OK, yeah, tell me what happened as he’s talking to you when he’s leaving the store on his way back home.

GIRLFRIEND: It started raining.

PROSECUTOR: It started raining, and did he go somewhere?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah, he ran to the, um, mail thing.

PROSECUTOR: I’m sorry what?

GIRLFRIEND: Like a mail, like a shed.

PROSECUTOR: Like a mail area, like a covered area, because it was raining? So did he tell you he was already inside, like, the gated place?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah. He ran. That’s when the phone hung up.

PROSECUTOR: I’m sorry?

GIRLFRIEND: The phone hung up and I called him back again.

PROSECUTOR: And what else did Trayvon tell you?

GIRLFRIEND: And like—-

PROSECUTOR: And I know this is difficult for you but just take your time and tell us what you remember happened.

GIRLFRIEND: A couple minutes later, like, he come and tell me this man is watching him.

PROSECUTOR: OK, did he describe the man that was watching him?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah, he said white.

PROSECUTOR: OK, did he say whether the man was standing, sitting…?

GIRLFRIEND: He was in a car.

PROSECUTOR: He was in a car? And what did he say about the man who was watching—-

GIRLFRIEND: He was on the phone.

PROSECUTOR: He was on the phone? OK, and what did Trayvon say after that?

GIRLFRIEND: He was telling me that this man was watching him, so he, like, started walking.

PROSECUTOR: He, Trayvon, started walking?

GIRLFRIEND: He gonna start walking. And then the phone hung up and then I called him back again. And then, I said, 'What are you doing?' He said he’s walking, and he said this man is still following him, behind the car. He put his hoodie on.

PROSECUTOR: He, Trayvon, put his hoodie on?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah, 'cause, he said, it was still a little bit dripping water so he put his hoodie on. So I said, ’What's going on?’ He said,
this man is still watching from a car. So he about to run from the back. I told him, go to his dad’s house. Run to his dad’s house.

PROSECUTOR: Go to what?

GIRLFRIEND: Run to his dad’s house.

PROSECUTOR: To his dad’s house?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah. So he said he was about to run from the back, so the next that I hear, he just run. I can hear that the wind blowing.

PROSECUTOR: So you could tell he was running at that time? OK. And then
what happened?

GIRLFRIEND: Then he said, he lost him.

PROSECUTOR: He lost what, the man?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: So was Trayvon, at that time, you could tell he was, like, out of breath, like excited?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: OK. Take your time, I know this is difficult for you.

GIRLFRIEND: So he lost him. He was breathing hard. And by the sound of his voice, his voice kind of changed.

PROSECUTOR: Who, Trayvon’s?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: OK. What do you mean by that? His voice changed?

GIRLFRIEND: [inaudible]

PROSECUTOR: I’m sorry?

GIRLFRIEND: I know he was scared.

PROSECUTOR: I know what you are trying to tell me but if you could describe to me how you could tell he was scared.

GIRLFRIEND: His voice was getting kind of low.

PROSECUTOR: So you could tell he was emotional, like somebody who was in fear?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: He was breathing hard?

GIRLFRIEND: He said he had lost him and he was breathing hard and I told him 'Keep running.'

PROSECUTOR: So Trayvon said he started walking because he thought he had lost the guy?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: OK.

GIRLFRIEND: I said, 'Keep running.' He said he ain’t gonna run. 'Cause he said he is right by his father's house. And then in a couple minutes he said the man is following him again. He’s behind him. I said, 'Run!' He said he was not going to run. I knew he was not going to run because he was out of breath. And then he was getting excited,
the guy’s getting close to him. I told him, 'Run!' And I told him, 'Keep running!' He not going to run. I tell him, 'Why are you not running?' He said ’I’m not gonna.’ He was tired. I know he was tired.

PROSECUTOR: I am sorry, Trayvon said he was not running because—-he’s not going to run he said because you could tell he was tired? How could you tell he was tired?

GIRLFRIEND: He was breathing hard.

PROSECUTOR: Real hard?

GIRLFRIEND: Real hard. And then he told me this guy was getting close! He told me the guy was getting real close to him. And the next I hear is, 'Why are you following me for?'

PROSECUTOR: OK. Let me make sure I understand this so, Trayvon tells you the guy is getting closer to him and then you hear Trayvon saying
something.

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: And what do you hear Trayvon saying?

GIRLFRIEND: 'Why are you following me for?'

PROSECUTOR: 'Why are you following me for?'

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: And then what happened?

GIRLFRIEND: I heard this man, like an old man say, 'What are you doing
around here?'

PROSECUTOR: OK, so you definitely could tell another voice that was not Trayvon and you heard this other voice say what?

GIRLFRIEND: 'What are you doing around here?'

PROSECUTOR: 'What are you doing around here?' OK.

GIRLFRIEND: And I call Trayvon, 'Trayon, what's going on? What’s going on?’

PROSECUTOR: This is you saying that?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah. Then, I am calling him and he didn’t answer.

PROSECUTOR: No answer from Trayvon?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah. I hear some like 'bump.' You could hear someone had bumped Trayvon. I could hear the grass.

PROSECUTOR: OK. So you could hear there was something going on, like something hitting something?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah. I could hear the grass thing.

PROSECUTOR: Out of the…?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah.

PROSECUTOR: OK, and then what happened?

GIRLFRIEND: And then, I was still screaming, I was saying, 'Trayvon! Trayvon!'

PROSECUTOR: And there was no response?

GIRLFRIEND: Yeah and then the next thing the phone just shut off.

PROSECUTOR: The phone shut off?

GIRLFRIEND: It just shut off.

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