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- [Kalyn] Hi, my name is Kalyn Womack

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and I'm a staff writer at The Root.

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This weekend, I'm taking
you to Sanford, Florida

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to explore the killing of Trayvon Martin

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on this episode of "Small Town Horrors."

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(eerie music)

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On February 26th, 2012,

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17 year old Trayvon Martin
went to the convenience store.

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Trayvon was from Miami, but
visiting his dad in Sanford,

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250 miles away.

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On his way back to the house,

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he carried a bag of Skittles
and a bottle of juice.

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However, his simple trip
down the street was cut short

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by George Zimmerman.

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Zimmerman was an insurance
fraud investigator

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who had been patrolling the neighborhood

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after a series of break-in burglaries.

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He was dressed in plain
clothes when he saw Martin

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and took the teen's black
hoodie as a sign of suspicion.

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Zimmerman called the non-emergency
line of the local police

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to report his finding,

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but the dispatcher told
him not to pursue Martin.

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Yet, he did anyway.

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- [Dispatcher] Are you following him?

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- [George] Yeah.

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- [Dispatcher] Okay, we
don't need you to do that.

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- [Kalyn] When Zimmerman
approached Martin,

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he tried to run away,

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leading to a short chase
and a physical altercation.

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The two struggled on the ground.

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Then, moments later, gunshots
rang and Martin was dead.

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Zimmerman was found not
guilty of second degree murder

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and argued his actions
were in self-defense,

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though Martin never posed an armed threat.

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Martin's death sparked national outrage

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and by 2013, the case helped birth

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the Black Lives Matter movement.

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- [Crowd] Trayvon Martin!

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Trayvon Martin!

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Trayvon Martin!

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- [Kalyn] Tune in next weekend

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to see which small town horror
we visit next at TheRoot.com.

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(eerie music continues)