Witnesses shed light into Trayvon Martin death

Audio files released in case against George Zimmerman

SANFORD, Fla. – Among the hours of witness statements to various law enforcement, one man saw the altercation between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman on the night of Feb. 26, and another witness said the neighborhood watch leader "does not like black people."

The neighbor, listed as "witness 6," watched the two men wrestling on the ground behind his house, but as he continued to be interviewed by various investigators, his story changed.

It's still unclear why prosecutors decided to charge Zimmerman with second-degree murder, but the statements from witness 6 appear to have changed as the weeks went on.

In a statement to police the night of the shooting, witness 6 said he saw two men wrestling on the ground. He said he saw a man matching Martin's description on top, punching Zimmerman on the ground.

"The one guy on top in the black hoodie was pretty much just throwing down blows on the guy kind of MMA-style," witness 6 told Sanford police within hours of the shooting.

But in follow-up interviews with the state attorney's office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, his statement changed.  In re-telling his story, he remained consistent by saying Martin was on top, in control, and had the advantage, but now, he wasn't sure if Martin was the aggressor.

W6: Did not hear a punch sound.
SAO: Did ever hear a sound like a head or another part of a body hitting concrete hard where it made a noise?
W6: No, I did not.
SAO: Did you hear it at all, like any...?
W6: Just the struggle sound.

Witness 6 went on to say, "I can't truly see how close they were to each other; if he was hitting him, or if he was trying to hold him down in that position until cops got there."

Witness 6 did not see how the fight started or witness the gunshot, and while he gave a detailed account of what happened, other witnesses spoke to Zimmerman's character.

Witness 9 made a bombshell accusation to Sanford police, "I know George, and I know that he does not like black people and he would start something. He's a very confrontational person."

Not one person saw the whole altercation from beginning to end, except for Zimmerman, who has claimed self-defense, saying Martin attacked him when he stepped from his vehicle.

Zimmerman's statements to law enforcement were not released Thursday because prosecutors consider them confessions, making them exempt from public release.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.


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