Trayvon Martin had marijuana in system the night he was gunned down
Revelation in autopsy report
By Rich Schapiro / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Thursday, May 17, 2012, 6:14 PM
Updated: Friday, May 18, 2012, 9:46 AM
Trayvon Martin had marijuana in his system the night he was gunned down in a Florida condo complex, according to a medical report released Thursday.
Martin’s autopsy report shows he had traces of THC, the active ingredient in pot, in his blood and urine.
The medical file was among a trove of evidence — including hundreds of pages of interviews and photos — released Thursday.
Among the pieces of evidence is a photo of suspect George Zimmerman — taken the night of the encounter — showing him with a bloody nose.
Zimmerman also had a one-inch laceration on his head and a forehead abrasion, according to a paramedic report.
“Bleeding tenderness to his nose, and a small laceration to the back of his head,” paramedic Michael Brandy wrote.
“All injuries have minor bleeding.”
The Martin family lawyer called the fresh details on Zimmerman’s injuries “suspicious.”
“If he had these injuries, why didn’t they take him to the hospital?” attorney Benjamin Crump told the Miami Herald.
“This happened at about 7:30. In the police surveillance video taken 30 minutes later, you can see with your own eyes that the fire rescue people didn’t so much as put a Band-Aid on his head.”
Martin, 17, was shot to death by Zimmerman in a gated community in Sanford in February.
A crime scene report says the unarmed Martin was carrying $40.15, a bag of Skittles, a red lighter, headphones and a photo pin in his pocket.
He had been shot once in the chest — from a distance of 1 inch to 18 inches away — and was pronounced dead at the scene, records show.
Zimmerman, who pleaded not guilty to murder charges, has insisted that he fired in self-defense.
The 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer wasn’t arrested until two months after the shooting, following the appointment of a special prosecutor.
The new documents show that a Sanford police investigator recommended that Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter a month before he was arrested.
The investigator, Christopher Serino, believed the encounter was “ultimately avoidable” if Zimmerman “remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement.”