What’s Skittles and Tea Got to Do With It? The Shooting of a 17 Year Old

Why was a 17-year-old African-American boy shot to death last month while crossing the street with a bag of skittles in his pocket and an Arizona Ice Tea in his hand? That’s what Trayvon Martin and police officials are trying to figure out. (original source here)

From within a gated town home community called The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, 20 miles north of Orlando, police received a 911 call reporting a suspicious person. Following that call, and before police arrived, Trayvon, who had been visiting his father and stepmother, residents of the community, was found on the sidewalk dead of a single gunshot to the chest.

Media reports have identified the caller as George Zimmerman, a white male listed in the community’s newsletter as the Neighborhood Watch captain.

Ben Crump, the family lawyer of the deceased, are very much aware of the fact that race may have played apart, and currently it’s the,

“the 600 pound elephant in the room. Why is this kid suspicious in the first place? I think a stereotype must have been placed on the kid,” Crump said.

Crump has also stated that the family is concerned that police might decide to consider the shooting as self defense, and there is uncertainty in why the police have ignored the family’s request for a copy of the original 911 call. A call they believe would shed light on the incidents.

“If the 911 protocol across the country held to form here, they told him not to get involved. He disobeyed that order,” said Ryan Julison, a spokesman for the family.

Related articles

• Parents seek justice for son’s killing (cbsnews.com)