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George Zimmerman's Exclusive Full Interview With Sean Hannity 7/18/2012
Wednesday, George Zimmerman, the man accused of killing Florida teen Trayvon Martin, gave an exclusive interview to Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity. Also sitting down for the interview was Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara.
In the first part of the interview, Zimmerman discussed what he calls a "tragic" situation in recounting the night of the shooting.
Zimmerman first described the incident that spurred him to become a community watchman, saying, "In August of 2011, there was a home invasion. A young lady was home with her nine-month-old baby, and they broke in her sliding glass door. She barricaded herself in the upstairs bedroom, and my wife was home by herself. She saw the people that burglarized her run through our backyard with their belongings. Even though my wife wasn't certain what happened, that was enough to scare her, shake her up. I promised her I would do what I could to keep her safe."
Zimmerman revealed that he carried a weapon with him at all times, except when he was at work, and contended that he had never heard of the Stand Your Ground law until after the shooting.
He described the evening of the shooting and what made him believe that Trayvon Martin was suspicious, saying, "I felt he was suspicious because it was raining, he was in between houses, cutting in between houses, and he was walking very leisurely for the weather." Zimmerman went onto say that Martin didn't appear as though he were a resident checking his mail or a fitness fanatic who was outside for exercise.
He further said that he felt threatened by Martin's "confrontational" body language from the get-go.
Zimmerman went onto further detail the evening of the shooting, saying that after Martin asked him what his problem was, he reached for his phone to call 911. When he looked up, Martin punched him, breaking his nose. Zimmerman said that he ended up on the ground and Martin "started bashing my head into the concrete sidewalk." He said that once Martin stopped hitting his head on the concrete, Martin tried to suffocate him.
George Zimmerman revealed that he was unaware that he had shot Trayvon Martin and explained what followed the shooting. He said, "He sat up and said something to the effect of you got it, or you got me."
Zimmerman then discussed his regrets and whether he would do anything differently, saying, "I feel that it was all God's plan..."
He expressed his sorrow for Trayvon Martin's family and said he would be open to talking with them at some point, saying, "I can't imagine what it must feel like, and I pray for them daily
In conclusion, Zimmerman reacted to how the media has made this story about race, saying, "I don't think it's fair that they rush to judgment." He also addressed Trayvon Martin's family and the American public about the case, professing, "I do wish that there was something, anything, that I could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position where I had to take his life."