On suspension from school

SANFORD, Fla. — Trayvon Martin had been suspended from school for having marijuana when the unarmed teenager was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer, a family spokesman said Monday.

Trayvon, 17, was suspended by Miami-Dade County schools because traces of marijuana were found in a plastic baggie in his book bag, family spokesman Ryan Julison said. Florida media also reported Monday that a marijuana pipe was found in the bag.

Trayvon was shot Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman while he was visiting Sanford with his father.

Also Monday, the Orlando Sentinel reported that it was actually Trayvon who attacked Mr. Zimmerman on the fatal night, as the gunman, who has become the object of national outrage, began to get out his side of the story.

“George Zimmerman suffered a broken nose, and had an injury to the back of his head; he was attacked by Trayvon Martin on that evening,” Craig Sonner, Mr. Zimmerman 's attorney, told ABC News. “This was a case of self-defense.”

State and federal agencies are investigating the shooting, with a grand jury set to convene April 10. Because Trayvon was black and Mr. Zimmerman, 28, is not (his father is white, his mother Hispanic), the case has become a racial flash point that has led to a series of protests in Sanford and around the country, including comment from President Obama and bounty calls from the Black Panthers.

But according to police reports cited in the Sentinel, Mr. Zimmerman was walking back to his vehicle after having lost Trayvon when the youth approached him from behind. The two exchanged words, Mr. Zimmerman said, and Trayvon then punched him in the nose, jumped on top of him and began banging his head on a sidewalk. Mr. Zimmerman said he began crying for help and then shot Trayvon in the chest.

“One witness, 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,” the Sentinel reported.

The Sanford police said the newspaper story was “consistent” with evidence turned over to prosecutors. Police arrived just two minutes after the shooting and quickly determined that Mr. Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose, had a swollen lip and had bloody lacerations to the back of his head.

The picture of Trayvon promoted by the family as the angelic victim of a racist vigilante took another hit Monday when the Miami Herald reported he also had been suspended previously from Miami-Dade schools for a graffiti offense.

When officials searched his bag, 12 pieces of women's jewelry and a flathead screwdriver described in a school report as a “burglary tool” were found inside. Trayvon was not punished over the jewelry, which he said belonged to someone else he declined to name.

In another development, city officials named a 23-year veteran of the Sanford police department as acting chief. The appointment of Capt. Darren Scott, who is black, came days after Chief Bill Lee, who is white, temporarily stepped down as the agency endured withering criticism over its handling of the case.

“I know each one of you — and everyone watching — would like to have a quick, positive resolution to this recent event,” Capt. Scott told reporters. “However, I must say we have a system in place, a legal system. It may not be perfect but it's the only one we have. I urge everyone to let the system take its course.”

Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, and family attorneys blamed police for leaking the information about the marijuana to the news media in an effort to demonize the teenager.

“The only comment that I have right now is that they killed my son and now they're trying to kill his reputation,” Mrs. Fulton told reporters.

The Sanford Police Department insisted there was no authorized release of the new information but acknowledged there may have been a leak. City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. said it would be investigated and the person responsible could be fired.

Also Monday, records posted on the Internet show that Mrs. Fulton has filed two applications to trademark her son's name, which would let the family profit from his posthumous fame.

“Sabrina Fulton is seeking marks for the phrases ‘I Am Trayvon' and ‘Justice for Trayvon,' according to filings made last week with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In both instances, Fulton is seeking the trademarks for use on ‘Digital materials, namely, CDs and DVDs featuring Trayvon Martin,' and other products,” reported the Smoking Gun website, which provided links to the applications filed March 21.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/26/police-report-trayvon-jumped-watch-shooter/?page=all#pagebreak

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From Google News

Wisconsin shooting recalls Trayvon Martin death

MILWAUKEE — The decision by authorities not to charge a homeowner who shot dead an unarmed black man in a small Wisconsin town three weeks ago has resulted in comparisons to the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida and drawn scrutiny to the state's new "castle doctrine" law, a derivative of the "stand your ground" laws.

Authorities ruled that Adam Kind, a homeowner from Slinger, Wisc. was justified in shooting Bo Morrison, 20, a black man. This is possibly the first such case under the expanded doctrine which was enacted late last year, prosecutors said.

The law allows homeowners facing imminent danger to their lives to protect themselves using deadly force if necessary.

About 150 people protested Sunday at the courthouse in nearby West Bend, Wisconsin. A rally also was planned for Tuesday in Madison for Morrison and Martin, 17, who was shot dead by a self-proclaimed neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida. The volunteer has claimed self-defense and has not been charged in that case.

"Under a reasonable view of the evidence the homeowner acted reasonably in his use of force based on the facts and circumstances," county District Attorney Mark Bensen said.

According to Bensen's report, Morrison attended a party in a garage adjacent to Kind's house with about 20 young adults the night of the shooting.

Kind, 35, called police at about 1 a.m. on March 3 complaining of loud music coming from a car parked in his neighbor's driveway.

Police contacted the parents of the girls who were hosting the party and they told everyone to leave, the report said.

Morrison, who had previous run-ins with the police and had a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin, left the party.

Kind, who said his concern was elevated because his wife, two children and a child guest were in the house, retrieved a handgun after he heard noises on his porch, the report said.

Kind loaded the handgun, went to the porch and confronted Morrison, who was wearing dark clothing, the report said. Kind fired one shot as Morrison walked toward him, then yelled for his wife to call 911, the report said.

An attorney representing Kind said the shooting of Morrison in the enclosed porch would have been considered justifiable under Wisconsin's prior law as well.

"All the factors to prove self-defense under the old law were present," lawyer Craig Mastantuono said.

Morrison's mother, Lauri Morrison, said he was trying to hide because he had previous tickets for underage drinking.

"He executed my son," Morrison said. "This cannot happen to another kid."

Morrison's sister, Kayla Morrison, said the former high school athlete had gotten in with the wrong crowd for a while, "But he was not a criminal. He was not a violent person."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46863258/ns/us_news/#

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