George Zimmerman’s Apology Contradicts 911 Call

According to the 911 tapes, Zimmerman thought Martin was in his "late teens"

George Zimmerman made his first public apology for killing Trayvon Martin, 17, during a bail hearing on Friday.  There’s just one problem with his apology. It appears to contradict statements he made to a police dispatcher during a 911 call he made before killing the teen on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. In court Friday, Zimmerman — a neighborhood watchman in the gated community where he fatally shot Martin after deeming the black youth suspicious—  said:

“I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. And I did not know if he was armed or not.”

Only Zimmerman, 28, did know how old Trayvon Martin was — almost down to a tee. When he called 911 to report the youth for looking like he was “up to no good,” the police dispatcher asked Zimmerman to describe Martin. The neighborhood watchman described Martin as being black, in a hoodie, wearing a button on his shirt and in his “late teens.” There was no hesitation when Zimmerman said this, and when the 911 dispatcher replied, “Late teens. OK.” Zimmerman did not challenge her.

[ALSO READ: Video of George Zimmerman's Apology]

The prosecution can use the statements Zimmerman gave on Friday to undermine his credibility if it doesn’t line up with what he’s previously told police. Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, have described Zimmerman’s apology as “self-serving” and do not consider it to be sincere, their representatives said.  We can only wait and see if this discrepancy will go unnoticed.

“It was devastating that he got to give a self-serving apology to help him get a bond,” Benjamin Crump, lawyer for the Martin family, said. "They were very outraged at that.”