[ti:Just What Happened in the Trayvon Martin Shooting?] [ar:Steve Ember] [al:IN THE NEWS] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. [00:08.92]"Tragedy." That word appears again and again [00:13.25]in comments about the Trayvon Martin shooting [00:17.18]in Sanford, Florida. [00:18.97]Trayvon Martin was seventeen years old and unarmed. [00:24.20]A twenty-eight-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer [00:28.79]shot and killed him on a rainy night in February. [00:33.68]He says he acted in self-defense. [00:37.19]He says the teenager attacked him. [00:40.76]Trayvon Martin was black. [00:43.21]The crime watch organizer, George Zimmerman, [00:47.18]is white and Hispanic. [00:49.55]Many accused him of racism. [00:52.17]Many more denounced law enforcement officials [00:56.64]for not bringing criminal charges. [00:59.39]The United States Justice Department [01:02.57]opened its own investigation. [01:05.69]This week, a Florida prosecutor, [01:08.90]State Attorney Angela Corey, [01:11.47]charged Mr. Zimmerman with murder. [01:15.02]ANGELA COREY: "Let me emphasize [01:16.26]that we do not prosecute [01:17.47]by public pressure or by petition. [01:20.27]We prosecute based on the facts of any given case [01:24.07]as well as the laws of the state of Florida." [01:26.97]On Thursday Mr. Zimmerman appeared [01:29.28]before Seminole County Judge Mark Herr. [01:32.04]MARK HERR: "Mr. Zimmerman, [01:32.81]you are here for your first appearances, [01:34.93]a first appearance at this time [01:36.93]for a charge of murder in the second degree. [01:39.23]And you are represented by Mr. O'Mara? " [01:41.84]GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: "Yes sir." [01:43.54]MARK HERR: "Remember your right to remain silent." [01:45.36]The judge said there was enough evidence [01:47.93]to move forward with the case. [01:49.93]He told Mr. Zimmerman that he will be officially charged [01:54.36]during an arraignment hearing on May twenty-ninth. [01:58.19]A hearing is set for next Friday [02:01.20]on the possibility of releasing him from jail on bond. [02:05.70]Defense lawyer Mark O'Mara said [02:08.91]Mr. Zimmerman would plead not guilty [02:11.95]but he worries about getting a fair trial. [02:15.18]MARK O'MARA: "We need to calm this down [02:16.91]and this case needs to be tried in a courtroom." [02:19.09]The shooting happened in the gated community [02:22.36]where the girlfriend of Trayvon Martin's father lives. [02:26.41]Tracy Martin and Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, [02:31.20]accuse Mr. Zimmerman of targeting their son [02:35.14]because he was black. [02:37.08]They led the protests to have him arrested. [02:40.46]SYBRINA FULTON: "We just wanted an arrest and we got it." [02:43.32]Police did not charge Mr. Zimmerman earlier [02:46.47]because of a Florida law known as "Stand Your Ground." [02:51.03]It says people have a right to meet force with force, [02:56.17]to stand their ground and not turn and run. [03:00.21]The Florida legislature passed the law in two thousand five. [03:05.44]Many other states have similar laws. [03:09.45]Supporters say these laws can reduce violent crime [03:15.42]and protect citizens who are trying to defend themselves. [03:20.50]But Daniel Gross with the Brady Center [03:24.27]to Prevent Gun Violence told members of Congress [03:28.32]that the Florida law needs to be examined closer. [03:32.57]DANIEL GROSS: "In Florida, law enforcement authorities [03:35.14]do not have the discretion to take away licenses [03:37.47]to carry concealed weapons even from those [03:40.25]who have killed unarmed people." [03:42.10]Jeb Bush signed the law when he was Florida governor. [03:46.04]He says it was not meant for cases like this one. [03:49.82]JEB BUSH: "'Stand Your Ground' means 'Stand Your Ground.' [03:52.10]It doesn't mean chase after somebody who's turned their back." [03:55.16]George Zimmerman had called [03:58.17]the 911 emergency services number [04:01.55]to report a suspicious person. [04:03.76]911 OPERATOR: "Are you following him?" [04:05.30]GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: "Yes." [04:06.68]911 OPERATOR: "We don't need you to do that." [04:07.89]Mr. Zimmerman later told police that he fired(shot Mr. Martin) [04:11.50]after the teen struck him and hit his head on the ground. [04:15.63]President Obama commented on the case last month. [04:19.89]He said when he thinks about Trayvon Martin, [04:23.71]he thinks about his own children. [04:25.91]BARACK OBAMA: "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon." [04:28.01]Samantha Nolan is a neighborhood watch trainer in Washington. [04:32.90]She tells volunteers never to chase anyone. [04:36.87]In fact, she says the best way to fight crime [04:41.20]is to just know your neighbors. [04:43.94]And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. [04:49.41]I'm Steve Ember.