Developments in the Killing of Trayvon Martin; Who is George Zimmerman?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Erin, thanks. Good evening, everyone. We begin with breaking news on two fronts tonight. The coroner's report is back in the death of Whitney Houston. The bottom line, drowning, heart disease, cocaine, plus a cocktail of other drugs, legal and illegal, in her system when she died. We'll talk to Dr. Drew Pinsky and 360 MD Sanjay Gupta shortly. But we begin with a story unfolding before our very eyes tonight. After a day of major developments in the killing of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed African-American teenager shot by a neighborhood watch captain in a central Florida gated community. Tonight the outrage has come national, has come full circle. It has come home. You're looking at a rally tonight in Sanford, Florida. People gathering from all around the country, not far from where on the 26th of February Trayvon Martin was returning to his future stepmother's home with a bag of candy and an iced tea. That evening George Zimmerman, armed with a 9 millimeter automatic, mistook Trayvon for a would-be criminal, pursued him, allegedly confronted him, then shot him dead. Today after weeks of withering criticism about his department's handling of the case and a vote of no confidence by Sanford's city commission, Sanford's police chief temporarily stepped aside. He did not step down. Nor did Sanford's city manager fire him even though he has the power to do so. In a moment we'll ask him why. First, John Zarrella who's at -- who's at tonight's rally -- John.</s>JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, some of the late developments today is that Governor Rick Scott, Florida's governor, has appointed a special task force to also contribute to this investigation. And it's being headed by State Attorney Angela Cory from the northern district of Florida. Now we assume that she'll get her group together and panel that task force pretty quickly on. We are here at this rally, as you know. Many thousands of people are here tonight, Anderson. We just heard from the Reverend Al Sharpton. We're now hearing from Trayvon Martin's parents. They are speaking right now. Earlier today they met with members of the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the U.S. attorney for the middle district of Florida. In those meetings they were told, look, please, give us patience. Have patience. This is going to take time. And they were also told that the investigation by the federal government, the Department of Justice, civil rights violations investigation that they are just getting started, just beginning the fact-finding, and they do not at this point have all the facts, or anywhere near all the facts -- Anderson.</s>COOPER: All right, John Zarrella, thanks very much. Now keep in mind that civil rights investigation by the federal government really may hinge on whether or not George Zimmerman uttered a racial -- racist slur on that 911 tape. We're going to play you an enhanced audio recording of that 911 tape. We ran it through with our best audio engineer here at CNN. We played it for you last night. We're going to replay that for you because it's critically important in terms of the federal investigation and the possibility of federal charges in this. It is worth starting tonight with Police Chief Lee's own words. Let's listen.</s>CHIEF BILL LEE, SANFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT: I stand by the Sanford Police Department, its personnel, and the investigation that was conducted in regards to the Trayvon Martin case. It is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process.</s>COOPER: Chief Lee says he stands behind the investigation, but at almost every stop along the way, "Keeping Him Honest," both his statements and the course taken by his department have come into question. It begins the night of February 26th when George Zimmerman says he shot Trayvon Martin in self defense. Acting properly he says according to Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Now looking at the police report you can see that at least initially police suspected the shooting may have been a crime. Take a look at the upper left-hand corner in the offense section. It reads homicide, negligent, manslaughter, unnecessarily killing to prevent unlawful act. Zimmerman was taken to police headquarters after the shooting. Further down the responding officer, Timothy Smith, writes, "Zimmerman was placed in an interview room at SPD where he was interviewed by investigator D. Singleton." Now his gun was kept as evidence but Zimmerman was allowed to leave. We don't know anything about how the interview was conducted. Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte said he was questioned extensively and made to reenact the shooting. Whatever police did, we do know they concluded that Zimmerman was in the clear and there wasn't even probable cause to hold him on suspicion. Yet they already had one key piece of evidence that should have been very suspicious, evidence in George Zimmerman's own words that called into question his claims of self defense.</s>UNIDENTIFIED 911 DISPATCHER: Are you following him?</s>GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH CAPTAIN: Yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED 911 DISPATCHER: OK. We don't need you to do that.</s>ZIMMERMAN: OK.</s>COOPER: Well, police had access to that 911 tape from the very beginning. They only made it public last Friday under very heavy pressure from the Martin family three weeks after the fact. Earlier this week, Chief Lee publicly downplayed it, seeming to take Zimmerman's side, calling what the 911 dispatcher said, quote, "not a lawful order that Mr. Zimmerman would be required to follow." Legally that is absolutely true, but it was unusual for the chief to say so given how quiet his department has been about answering any questions considering the case. So let's go back to the investigation. The family's attorney says police never asked neighbors if anyone was missing a child, which could suggest they suspected at least at the time that Trayvon was an intruder, not a kid visiting his dad in the neighborhood. Nor did they check Trayvon's cell phone. They say his phone was locked and they are waiting for records from the phone company. As of yesterday, however, they still hadn't contacted the last person to speak to Trayvon alive. He was talking to his girlfriend just seconds before his killing. The Martin family, on the other hand, did uncover the cell phone records, trace the girlfriend. She gave family attorney Benjamin Crump a statement recounting the call. Quote, "He said this man was watching him so he put his hoodie on, said he lost the man." She went on to say, quote, "I asked Trayvon to run and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to run." She said the man caught up to Trayvon. Quote, "Trayvon said what are you following me for? And the man said, what are you doing here? The next thing I hear is somebody pushing and somebody pushed Trayvon because the headset just fell." So at the end of the day here's what we have. At least two key pieces of evidence casting suspicion on George Zimmerman's self- defense claim. Allegations the Sanford Police Department did a sloppy job, a vote of no confidence by Sanford City Commission. A Justice Department investigation, a big rally tonight and a national uproar. All of it, 25 days and counting since Trayvon Martin headed home from the store with a bag of Skittles and iced tea, and his whole life ahead of him. Now given all of that, given the national attention, the intense local pressure, a lot of people are asking not just at tonight's rally for two things, the arrest of George Zimmerman and the firing, firing of Chief Lee. He just stepped down today. One man tonight has the absolute power to do one of those things -- fire the chief. He's not exercising it. Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte. Earlier tonight I asked him why and why George Zimmerman is not in custody.</s>COOPER: Mr. Bonaparte, I heard you're doing an interview with Al Sharpton this evening on MSNBC and you said you want justice for the, quote, "murder of Trayvon Martin." You used the word "murder" which is not a word one would use to describe an act of self-defense or justifiable homicide or anything under the "Stand Your Ground" law. So if you believe Trayvon Martin was murdered, why hasn't the man who shot him been arrested?</s>NORTON BONAPARTE, SANFORD, FLORIDA CITY MANAGER: What I have been told, Anderson, and this is a law enforcement matter, that when the police arrived, they handcuffed Mr. Zimmerman, they took him to the police headquarters, they questioned him, they brought him back out to the scene, they asked him to reenact what happened. And based upon what they heard from him and based upon the evidence that they saw at the scene, and based upon some information from witnesses, they could not un-corroborate the fact that he said it was self defense. What they have determined, at least at the scene, was that because of the Florida state statutes, they could not arrest him.</s>COOPER: So do you believe Trayvon Martin was murdered, though?</s>BONAPARTE: I believe that he was certainly killed and it was unfortunate and it was a tragedy. No parent wants to have their child killed. Whether it's murder accident or anything like that. I think that what we need to look at is how we can get justice, and at this point, we're looking for the state's attorney to look at the evidence that the Sanford police has provided, along with the evidence that they'll get from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the grand jury.</s>COOPER: So your use of that word earlier "murder" was not to indicate that you believe it was not self defense?</s>BONAPARTE: I believe that's up for the state's attorney and the justice system to look at. I am not going to be prejudging. We have a judicial system and I'm looking forward that justice is done.</s>COOPER: The police chief of your city, Bill Lee, steps aside temporarily today. He says he stands by the investigation into Trayvon Martin's death, is only stepping aside because he's become a distraction. Is that acceptable to you?</s>BONAPARTE: Yes. I think it was very clear to Chief Lee that based upon the city commission's vote yesterday of no confidence and the uproar that's brewing not only in this city but around the country regarding the focus being on the police chief and not on the killing of Trayvon Martin, that he decided to step aside so that we can refocus on getting justice for the death of Trayvon Martin and that's through the justice system.</s>COOPER: Do you have confidence in the investigation thus far?</s>BONAPARTE: I don't know the investigation. That's why Mayor Triplett, Congresswoman Brown and myself went to Washington, D.C. to ask the United States Department of Justice to overlook and to see -- for them to review and to share with us do they think there was a fair and impartial investigation.</s>COOPER: But clearly, I mean, if you went to ask for outsiders to look at the investigation, that would indicate a concern you have about the investigation?</s>BONAPARTE: What I say is that because of the national attention and because of the tragedy of this place, the tragedy of the killing of Trayvon Martin, we want to have outside eyes look at this, fresh eyes, independent eyes of the Sanford Police Department so that we can have confidence in whatever they find.</s>COOPER: You said earlier on CNN, quote, "If this took place in another city, certainly Mr. Zimmerman would have been arrested." What did you mean by that?</s>BONAPARTE: I said that when I spoke to other law enforcement officials, one in particular in New York, indicated that if it had taken place in New York, Mr. Zimmerman would have been arrested. However, based on Florida's laws, he understood why the Sanford Police did not arrest Mr. Zimmerman.</s>COOPER: Trayvon Martin's parents have said this evening they want Chief Lee to be permanently removed. You have the authority to fire him. What do you say to Trayvon's parents?</s>BONAPARTE: I say, I will remove him if I have reason to believe that he did something inappropriate. I am not rushing to judgment. I've called for a review. I want to know the facts. Did the Sanford Police Department do something they shouldn't have done or did they not do something that they should have done? Give that to me and then I can make a determination not only just about Chief Lee but about the whole Sanford Police Department.</s>COOPER: Do you have confidence in the investigation that Chief Lee oversaw?</s>BONAPARTE: Right now it doesn't make a difference. What we really want is to make sure that the state's attorney has all the information they need so they can determine whether they should indict Mr. Zimmerman and they have provided -- we provided them with the police department but in addition to that they have information and the resources of Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the United States Department of Justice.</s>COOPER: So you don't want to go on record saying whether or not you have confidence in the investigation or not?</s>BONAPARTE: What I go on record saying we want justice for the Martin family. And right now it's in the hands of the justice system through the state's attorney office. He's doing -- the one to determine what the fate of Mr. Martin is -- what the fate of Zimmerman is in terms of pressing charges.</s>COOPER: Mr. Bonaparte, I appreciate your time. Thank you.</s>BONAPARTE: Thank you.</s>COOPER: Let's bring in legal analysis, former federal prosecutors Jeffrey Toobin and Sunny Hostin. Jeffrey, clearly he doesn't want to take a position. I mean he's kind of just ducking all over the place.</s>JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: And I don't know what that heck that business is with taking a temporary leave?</s>COOPER: Right. So --</s>TOOBIN: What does that mean?</s>COOPER: That's the other question I wanted to ask you about.</s>SUNNY HOSTIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It doesn't mean anything.</s>COOPER: The police chief stepping down, does that really mean anything, taking temporary leave?</s>TOOBIN: No. What does it mean to temporarily step down? I mean is he still in charge of the police department except for this case? Is he just taking vacation? I mean it's just -- it seems like a -- it is either too much or too little, but it's a meaningless gesture, I think.</s>COOPER: And Sunny, the meeting today between Trayvon Martin's parents and the Department of Justice, what does that mean for the case?</s>HOSTIN: You know, I think they wanted to manage the family's expectations. I think they wanted to ask the family's patience so that they can continue the investigation. It's just the very beginning. And I think Jeff will agree with me, trying a federal hate crimes case, it's just very difficult to prove. I mean you have to prove specific intent, so you have to get into someone's head, and it's the highest level intent under our criminal law system. And I think they wanted to manage the family's expectations but make it very clear that they are there, they are on the ground, they are investigating but they aren't taking over the investigation because this, in my view, is very much still a local law enforcement case.</s>COOPER: I want to talk in a little bit about what was in his head and what we know about that based on what he said on the 911 tapes, whether he used a racist slur because that does have a key -- key impact on whether the feds can bring in charges. Before we get there, though, we know very little about the gun that was used. Apparently the police confiscated it. That's a big issue.</s>TOOBIN: It's an enormous issue because the ballistics and the autopsy evidence, they're not public yet and they will be extremely important. I mean, for example, Zimmerman told the story, we don't know the details, of how this shooting took place. Does the autopsy evidence match up with that? For example, he will say I shot him in the chest or I shot him, you know, in the arm or whatever. Does the autopsy evidence confirm that? Does the autopsy evidence show that he shot him in the back when he said he shot him in the front?</s>HOSTIN: Well, and</s>I -- TOOBIN: I mean that's very important and we don't know that yet.</s>HOSTIN: And I think there's some crucial evidence missing because my understanding is that Zimmerman was allowed to leave the police station with the very clothes that he had on for the shooting. So if there is any discrepancy in terms of how far he was away from Trayvon Martin, that information is now lost, that forensic information is now lost.</s>COOPER: And --</s>HOSTIN: There's -- you can't have gun powder residue and that sort of thing because apparently it just wasn't conducted appropriately.</s>COOPER: And whether also there was no drugs --</s>TOOBIN: You know, now that evidence is gone forever.</s>COOPER: Right. Also, I mean, we know from at least two eyewitnesses Trayvon Martin was face down on the ground. Still, he could have been shot in the chest and the bullet could have spun him around. We simply don't know enough of the details.</s>TOOBIN: That was very -- when you interviewed those eyewitnesses that was a very striking image of him straddling --</s>COOPER: George Zimmerman --</s>TOOBIN: Zimmerman on top of him straddling him face down, which is just -- I mean the whole thing is bizarre, but that was I thought a very bizarre image. And you wonder how that could have happened.</s>COOPER: We've got to take a quick break. Jeffrey and Sunny, stay with us. There's plenty more on this and other stories at CNN.com. We're going to continue to talk about it right after this break. We're on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @Andersoncooper. We're tweeting about this case right now and having a conversation on Twitter about it. Up next, we don't know where the shooter, George Zimmerman, is tonight. We're also learning a lot about who he is or at least some more about his background. We'll take you up close next.