Zimmerman to Martin's parents: "I am sorry"

(CBS/AP) SANFORD, Fla. - George Zimmerman took the stand at a bail hearing Friday, apologizing to the parents of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who he fatally shot in February.

"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. I did not know if he was armed or not," Zimmerman said in his first public comments about the shooting.

Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, were in the courtroom as a judge heard testimony before deciding to grant Zimmerman's request for bond, which was set at $150,000. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting of the unarmed 17-year-old. He has claimed self-defense.

Zimmerman was wearing a suit but was in shackles as he took the stand.

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Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted the bond motion, but said Zimmerman would not be released Friday, pending a further hearing on whether Zimmerman will be allowed to leave the state, as his attorney, Mark O'Mara, has requested, citing safety concerns.

Once freed, Zimmerman will be required to wear an ankle monitor and must check in with authorities every three days. He will not be allowed to possess firearms, consume alcohol or other controlled substances and he will have to abide by a curfew.

After the hearing, Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said Martin's parents were "very outraged" at the results of the hearing.

"It was devastating that [Zimmerman] got to give a self-serving apology to help get him a bond," Crump said. "Why is everybody protecting George Zimmerman?"

Zimmerman' parents and wife testified by phone earlier in the hearing at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, saying he is not a flight risk nor a threat to the community. Zimmerman's family members were testifying by phone because they say they have been threatened.

"He is absolutely not a violent person," his wife, Shellie Zimmerman, testified.

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Zimmerman's father, George Zimmerman Sr., said that even when confronted his son was likely to "turn the other cheek." The father also described what he said were his son's injuries Feb. 27, the morning after Martin was shot and killed.

"His face was swollen quite a bit. He had a protective cover over his nose. His lip was swollen and cut. And there were two vertical gashes on the back of his head," the elder Zimmerman testified.

Zimmerman's mother, Gladys, said her son was "very protective" of vulnerable people such as the homeless and children. She described how he got involved in a mentoring program for children in Orlando, noting that both of the children he mentored were African-American like Martin.

Mrs. Zimmerman said she was concerned about her son's safety in that program because he traveled twice a month to a dangerous neighborhood.

"He said, 'Mom, if I don't go, they don't have nobody,"' Mrs. Zimmerman said.

But assistant prosecutor Bernardo de la Rionda asked the family members about two incidents. In 2005, George Zimmerman had to take anger management courses after an undercover law enforcement officer accused him of attacking him as he tried to arrest Zimmerman's friend. In another incident, a girlfriend accused Zimmerman of attacking her. No charges were filed.

The hearing provided a few glimpses into the evidence amassed by investigators, and in some cases evidence they do not have.

Dale Gilbreath, an investigator for the state attorney's office, testified that he does not know whether Martin or Zimmerman threw the first punch and that there is no evidence to disprove Zimmerman's contention that he was walking back to his vehicle when confronted by Martin.

Gilbreath also said evidence does not back up parts of Zimmerman's story, such as his claim that Martin was slamming his head against a sidewalk just before he pulled out his handgun and shot the teenager.

"That is not consistent with the evidence we found," said Gilbreath, who did not provide details.

Kim Cannaday, a spokeswoman for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, said she couldn't comment on what security procedures would be in place for Zimmerman if he is released. The sheriff's office does have the ability to monitor defendants outside the county if a judge requests a GPS monitor be used as a condition of release.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the 17-year-old Martin's death during a Feb. 26 confrontation in a Sanford, Fla., gated community. Martin was walking home from a convenience store when Zimmerman spotted him from his truck and called police to report him as suspicious. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense under Florida's "stand your ground" law, which eliminates a person's duty to retreat under threat of death or serious injury.

The lack of an arrest for 44 days spurred protests nationwide, several in Seminole County, in which participants chanted and held signs that said, "Arrest Zimmerman Now!" Anger over a delay in Zimmerman's arrest led to the Sanford police chief stepping down temporarily and the recusal of the prosecutor who normally handles cases out of Sanford.