President Barack Obama has finally addressed the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, a 17? year old Black teen was shot dead in his father’s subdivision by George Zimmerman, an overzealous volunteer neighborhood watchman.
Choosing his words very carefully, Obama noted that his attorney general was looking into the case, and prefaced his remarks by saying it was important he was not ?impairing any investigation that?s taking place right now.?
“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” Obama said.
“And, you know, I think they are right to expect that all of us, as Americans, are gonna take this with the seriousness that it deserves and that we’re gonna get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”
Video of Obama’s statement + additional details about the outrageous killing of Trayvon Martin :
VIDEO: President Obama Speaks on Trayvon Martin
President Barack Obama spoke out Friday on the Trayvon Martin shooting for the first time, calling the incident a ?tragedy? and invoking his own children.
?I can only imagine what these parents are going through,? the president said, adding that he couldn?t help but think about his daughters. ?I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this.
?My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin,? he added. ?If I had a son, he?d look like Trayvon. I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and we?re going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.?
Obama said he was pleased to hear that Florida Gov. Rick Scott has appointed a task force to look into the incident.
?I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen,?
Trayvon Martin was shot dead on February 26, 2012, as he returned from a walk to a convenience store where he purchased skittles and an Arizona sweet tea.
As he walked down the street in his father’s gated Florida community, he was confronted by Zimmerman who questioned him and subsequently shot him for not answering.
Martin was unarmed and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. His only crime seemed to be that he was an unfamiliar Black face.
Public outrage in the case prompted the President’s statements as thousands of protestors have participated in “Million Hoodie Marches” around the country.
Several 911 audio tapes have been released revealing the true nature of the shooter’s intent.
Another 911 call featured a female who said, “There is somebody screaming outside.” On the disturbing tape, you can clearly hear a male scream and a gunshot.
In another call, a terrified male states: “I just heard a shot right behind my house. They’re wrestling right behind my porch. The guy is yelling, ‘Help!’ I’m not going outside.”
The video below features Zimmerman’s 911 call as well as the ones that followed.
The people in the neighborhood were obviously terrified but it was Zimmerman who was causing the scare… not Trayvon Martin.
Operators on the calls made sure that nobody else went outside, but they wanted them to report what they heard and saw. They reported a man with a flashlight, and then the gunshots.
At the end of it all, an innocent 17 year old is dead… all because he was Black and wearing a hoodie.