Martin shooter's family goes on the offensive
(CBS News) A grand jury in Florida may begin hearing evidence next Tuesday in the case of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager who was shot to death by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmeran in Sanford, Florida. As CBS News correspondent Anna Werner reports, Zimmerman's family is urging the public to wait until all the facts are out.
For nearly six weeks, protests across the country -- many organized by the NAACP -- have demanded the arrest of George Zimmerman.
Now Zimmerman's family has sent a letter to the NAACP to, as they put it, remind the African-American community that "there are always two sides to every story."
George Zimmerman lawyer: "Fairly simple but tragic case of self-defense"
Veteran attorney Hal Uhrig joins George Zimmerman's defense team, reports say
The letter said Zimmermann's "been called a racist and bigot", and "there has been an unprecedented rush to judge George regardless of the facts."
"This is not a guy who has a racial bone in his body," said Hal Uhrig, one of Zimmerman's attorneys. He told us there's been far too much emphasis on race.
"What's the key point to you in this case right now?" Werner asked.
"Just look at the law and what actually happened," said Uhrig. "This was a fairly simple but tragic case of self-defense."
Zimmermann's father, Robert, who appeared in silhouette on the Sean Hannity show Wednesday night because he has been receiving threats, spoke out in support of his son's version of events.
"They said that George's story is consistent with every eyewitness account and every piece of evidence they have," said Robert Zimmerman.
After the shooting, a Sanford police investigator wanted to arrest Zimmerman, but no charges were filed. The attorney for Martin's family, Ben Crump, is asking federal officials to investigate.
"Why was this decision made?" he asked. "That's all they want to know. They want the right to have answers, because right now George Zimmerman is free and their son is in a grave."
Now there is a grand jury scheduled for here for next Tuesday. The special prosecutor in the case, Angela Corrie has three options here: She can present charges to the grand jury; she could decide to file charges herself; or there could be no charges filed at all.
