Florida teen's shooting by watchman questioned

Answers remain in short supply as to why an unarmed teenager was shot and killed two weeks ago.

Trayvon Martin, 17, was walking toward the home of his father's fiancee in a gated community in Sanford, Florida, around sunset on February 26.

The neighborhood watch captain, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, saw the teen on the property and called 911.

According to CNN affiliate WFTV, Zimmerman, who is white, described Martin to a dispatcher as a suspicious black man.

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee said the 911 dispatcher told Zimmerman not to confront Martin, but by the time police arrived, the teenager lay dead with a gunshot wound in the chest. He was carrying a small amount of cash, some candy and an iced tea.

Unarmed teen shot in self-defense?

Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self-defense, but that doesn't sit well with Martin's parents.

"When you add it up, it just doesn't even make sense," said Ben Crump, the Martin family's attorney. "Trayvon Martin, a kid, has a bag of Skittles. (Zimmerman) had a 9 mm gun. Trayvon Martin didn't approach George Zimmerman, George Zimmerman approached Trayvon Martin. So how can he now assert self-defense?"

Police say a gunshot can be heard on the 911 calls recorded that night.

Sanford police said Monday the calls will not be made public until the investigation is complete, but the Martin family is pushing for the tapes to be released sooner.

"It will tell us why (Zimmerman) just disregarded, just ignored the police instructions when they tell him to stay put, they'll be there in a few minutes. On those 911 tapes is going to tell you why he said he's not going to follow their instructions. And most importantly, it's going to tell us his mentality when he confronted this 17-year-old kid," Crump said.

Numerous attempts to contact Zimmerman by CNN were unsuccessful, and it is unclear whether Zimmerman has retained an attorney.

Under intense pressure from the community, city officials in Sanford held a press conference on Monday.

"We are going to complete a thorough and fair investigation and present all the information to the state attorney's office so justice can be rendered," Lee said.

Police said they have not charged Zimmerman because there are no grounds to disprove his story of what happened.

"The evidence and testimony we have so far does not establish that Mr. Zimmerman did not act in self-defense. We don't have anything to dispute his claim of self-defense, at this point, with the evidence and testimony that we have," Lee said.

Lee said the directions the 911 dispatcher gave Zimmerman to not accost Martin when the incident arose were not mandatory instructions.

"That is a call taker making a recommendation to him. He's not under a legal obligation to do that, so that is not something we can charge him with. But it would have been a good outcome ... if Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman never came in contact with one another."

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