Timeline of the shooting of Trayvon Martin

Shooting Death of Trayvon Benjamin Martin

Time	7:09 PM EST (start)
Date	February 26, 2012
Location	The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida, U.S. (See aerial views of points of interest.)
Coordinates	28°47′35″N 81°19′47″W / 28.79295°N 81.32965°WCoordinates: 28°47′35″N 81°19′47″W / 28.79295°N 81.32965°W
Participants	George Zimmerman (shooter)
Deaths	Trayvon Martin
Charges	Second-degree murder[1]
Verdict	Not guilty[2]

The following is a timeline of the events surrounding the death of teenager Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman during a physical altercation.^[3][4] Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in April 2012, and found not guilty on July 13, 2013.^[2]

Chronology of events

February 2012

February 19

Trayvon Martin and his father Tracy travel to Sanford, Florida from Miami where they stay with Tracy Martin's fiancee. She rents a townhome in the Retreat at Twin Lakes development.^[5]

February 26

• At an unverified time, Trayvon Martin walks from the home where he is staying to a nearby 7-Eleven.^[6]

• 6:24:18 PM — As shown by a store CCTV, Martin purchases a bag of Skittles and an AriZona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail (often described in media and at protests as AriZona iced tea.)^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

• 6:54 – 7:12 — Martin has an 18-minute cell phone call with a girl reported to be his girlfriend. The call gets disconnected.^[10][12]

• 7:09:34 – 7:13:41 — George Zimmerman calls the Sanford Police Department (SPD) from his truck; total time of the call is 4 minutes 7 seconds.^[13]

• 7:11:33 — Zimmerman tells the police dispatcher that Trayvon Martin is running.

• 7:11:59 — In reply to the dispatcher's question, "Are you following him?" Zimmerman responds with, "Yes." Dispatcher: "OK, we don't need you to do that." Zimmerman: "OK."

• 7:12:00 – 7:12:59 — The girl calls Martin again at some point during this minute.^[14]

• 7:13:10 — Zimmerman says he does not know Martin's location.

• 7:13:41 — The end of Zimmerman's call to Sanford police.^[14]

• 7:16:00 – 7:16:59 — Martin's call from the girl goes dead during this minute.^[14][15] [the precise time surfaced during the trial, the call ends at 7:15:43, 1 minute and 12 seconds before the shot.]

• 7:16:11 — First 911 call from witness about a fight, calls for help heard.^[16]

• 7:16:55 — Gunshot heard on 911 call.^[17]

• 7:17 — The first officer on the scene, Officer T. Smith arrives by squad car at Retreat View.^[18]

• 7:17:40+ — Officer Smith arrives at the crime scene.^[19]

• 7:19:07 — Photo taken of Zimmerman's head injuries by a civilian bystander.^[20]

• 7:19:43 — Officer Smith takes Zimmerman into custody.^[19]

• 7:25+ — Sanford police take a photo of George Zimmerman in a squad car.^[21]

• 7:30 — Trayvon Martin pronounced dead at the scene by paramedic.^[18]

• 7:40 — Sanford Fire Department treats Zimmerman for his injuries.^[22]

• 7:52 — Zimmerman's arrival at police station recorded on video.

• 10:30 — Martin's father and his fiancee return to the townhome, realize he is missing, are concerned, but think he may be with a cousin.^[23]

• 11:21 — Crime Scene Tech D. Smith photographs Zimmerman's injuries and hands; uses Gunshot Residue Kit to collect GSR. Zimmerman's clothing taken as evidence after wife arrives with a change of clothes.^[24][25][26]

February 27

• Approximately 1:00 AM — Zimmerman released (duration described as "five hours").^[27]

• 3:07 AM — Timestamp on SPD Initial Report on the incident.

• 8:39 AM – Martin reported missing by his father.^[28]

• Around 9:20 AM. — SPD informs Tracy Martin of the death of his son.^[29]

• Zimmerman obtains treatment from family doctor, record of injuries generated.^[30]

• Zimmerman reenacts events at crime scene with three SPD officers (voluntarily and without counsel) and is video-taped.^[23]

March 2012

March 7

• Reuters writes about the case; more national coverage soon follows.^[31][32]

March 8

• Martin's father holds press conference criticizing SPD investigation.^[31]
• The Martin family creates petition on Change.org ^[33] seeking to build public attention. The petition eventually reaches over 2 million supporters

March 9

• Benjamin Crump, attorney for the Martin family, announces he is filing a lawsuit to get the public records released.^[34]

March 12

• Chief Lee states that "[T]here is no evidence to dispute Zimmerman's assertion that he shot Martin out of self-defense."

March 13

• SPD announces case turned over to State Attorney Norm Wolfinger.^[35]

• NAACP sends letter to U.S. Department of Justice.^[36]

March 16

• Audio of eight calls to 9-1-1 released.^[31]

March 20

• U.S. Department of Justice announces investigation.^[37]

• Attorney Benjamin Crump reveals that Trayvon Martin was talking on the phone with a teenage girl during the altercation with George Zimmerman.^[38]

March 22

• Bill Lee temporarily steps aside as Chief of Police.^[39]

• Wolfinger recuses himself from the case and Florida Gov. Rick Scott appoints Angela B. Corey, the state attorney for the Jacksonville area, to take over the case.^[40]

March 23

• A lawyer for Zimmerman, Craig Sonner, announces that his client acted in self-defense.^[41]
• President Obama comments on the shooting: "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon."^[42]

March 28

• Lawmaker Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois, wearing hoodie removed from House floor.

March 29

• Special prosecutor Corey announces that she will not comment on the Martin case until further notice.

April 2012

April 5

• Florida State Sen. Chris Smith convenes task force to examine possible changes to the state's self-defense laws.

April 9

• Corey decides against a grand jury for the case, eliminating the possibility of a first-degree murder charge.^[43]

April 10

• Corey says she'll make an announcement about the case within 72 hours.^[44]

• At a news conference Zimmerman's attorneys, Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner, announce they are no longer representing him and that they never met him in person.^[45]

April 11

• Corey announces that Zimmerman is charged with second degree murder.^[46]

• Zimmerman turns himself in to the police and is taken into custody shortly after Corey's announcement.^[46]

April 20

• At bail hearing lead investigator Dale Gilbreath states that they did not know who started the fight and have no evidence contradicting Zimmerman's statement that Martin attacked him first. Bail is set at $150,000.^[47]

April 23

• Zimmerman is released on bail at 12:05 AM.^[48]

• Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara enters a not guilty plea on his behalf.

May 2012

May 14

• Defense is given discovery evidence, including 67 compact discs and a list of witness statements.^[49]

May 17

• Prosecutors publicly release evidence in the case, including police and autopsy reports, witness statements, and surveillance videos.^[50]

June 2012

June 1

• Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. revokes Zimmerman's bond due to concerns that the Zimmermans did not fully disclose their financial status, and orders him to the custody of the county sheriff within 48 hours.^[51]

June 3

• Zimmerman voluntarily complies with Judge Lester's order that he return to custody at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Florida to await a new June 29 bond hearing.^[52]

June 18

• Special Prosecutor Angela Corey releases six phone calls Zimmerman made to his wife while he was in the Seminole County Jail.^[53]

June 20

• Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee is fired.^[54]

June 21

• Two 911 telephone calls are released that were placed by Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin's father, on the morning after the shooting.^[55]

• Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, releases a round of discovery evidence on his client's web site. It includes audio, video and written statements that Zimmerman gave to police.^[56][57][58]

June 29

• Zimmerman's second bond hearing focuses on both the shooting case and his alleged misleading of the court at his first bond hearing. Judge Lester doesn't immediately rule on the bond matter.^[59]

July 2012

July 6

• Zimmerman is released from jail one day after Judge Lester grants him bond again under stricter conditions. His bond was increased to $1 million and he must remain within Seminole County, Florida, while awaiting trial.^[60]

July 12

• Prosecutors release another round of discovery evidence. The nearly 300 pages of evidence include information from an FBI investigation of Zimmerman in which people involved in the case and family, friends and associates of Zimmerman were interviewed.^[61]

July 13

• Zimmerman's legal defense team files a motion to have Judge Kenneth Lester disqualified from the case. They argue that negative remarks the judge made about Zimmerman in his ruling on re-granting bond show bias and may affect Zimmerman's ability to get a fair trial in Lester's court.^[62]

August 2012

August 30

• Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson is officially assigned the case.^[63]

June 2013

June 10

• Zimmerman's murder trial begins with the selection of 6 jury members.^[64]

July 2013

July 13

• Zimmerman is found to be not guilty.^[2]

References

1. "George Zimmerman charged, hearing expected Thursday". CNN. April 11, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
2. Botelho, Greg (13 July 2013). "Zimmerman jury reaches a verdict". CNN. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
3. Kuo, Vivian (March 14, 2012). "Fatal shooting of Florida teen turned over to state attorney". CNN. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
4. Lynch, Rene (March 26, 2012). "Trayvon Martin case: Martin was the aggressor, police sources say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
5. NY Times (May 18, 2012). "Documents in Trayvon Martin Case (See Criminal Investigation Report, by Chris Serino, March 13th, 2012, page 3 of 13". NY Times. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
6. "Trayvon Martin shooting". USA News Today. May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
7. "Trayvon Martin crimescene photos showing beverage". SmokingGun. May 18, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
8. "Arizona Beverage Company – Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail product page". Arizona Beverage Company. June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
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14. "Trayvon Martin shooting". USA Today. April 11, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
15. Susan Simpson (April 5, 2012). "Minute-by-Minute Timeline of Trayvon Martin’s Death (Notes T-Mobile phones round down)". Susan Simpson. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
16. Click Orlando (March 20, 2012). "Lawyer: Travyon Martin's girlfriend heard altercation – Grand jury to review fatal shooting in Sanford neighborhood". Click Orlando. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
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18. "Sanford Police Initial Report" (PDF). February 26, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
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21. NY Times (May 18, 2012). "Documents in Trayvon Martin Case (See photo on pg. 70". NY Times. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
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30. ABC News (May 15, 2012). "ABC News Exclusive: Zimmerman Medical Report Shows Broken Nose, Lacerations After Trayvon Martin Shooting". ABC News. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
31. Trotta, Daniel (April 3, 2012). "Trayvon Martin: Before the World Heard the Cries". Reuters. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
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33. Change.org
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36. Adora Obi Nweze (March 13, 2012). "Request for the Community Relations Service to Review the Shooting Death of Unarmed Black Teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida" (PDF). NAACP. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
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48. George Zimmerman released from Fla. jail
49. "Defense has discovery in neighborhood watch case". Associated Press. May 14, 2012.
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52. Associated Press, "Bond revoked, Zimmerman returns to Fla. jail", Maine Sunday Telegram, June 3, 2012.
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56. Hayes, Ashley (June 21, 2012). "George Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin threatened my life". Retrieved June 21, 2012.
57. "Video shows George Zimmerman's account of fatal fight with Trayvon Martin". WFTV Orlando. June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
58. "New audio, video statements released in George Zimmerman case". WKMG TV Orlando. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
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61. Robles, Frances (July 12, 2012). "Detective in Zimmerman case said he was pressured to file charges". Miami Herald.
62. "George Zimmerman asks for new judge claiming bias". Associated Press. July 14, 2012.
63. "George Zimmerman's new judge: Debra S. Nelson". Orlando Sentinel. August 30, 2012.
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