George Zimmerman reached out to ask to speak to Trayvon Martin’s parents Thursday night, but they rejected that request, attorney Benjamin Crump told NBC 6.
The family said they did not want to talk with Zimmerman, saying they felt that he had never publicly apologized for what happened to their son, and that they thought it was inappropriate to do so at the eleventh hour before his bond hearing Friday, according to Crump. He represents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton.
Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting of Martin, 17, of Miami Gardens in a gated community in Sanford.
A bond hearing is set for Friday morning in the case. Zimmerman's attorney filed a motion to allow testimony by telephone from family members at the hearing, which the State Attorney's Office didn't object to.
Meantime, Sanford city officials and community leaders planned to come together Thursday night to discuss how the city can move forward following the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Mayor Jeff Triplett, City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr., Acting Police Chief Darren Scott and possibly city commissioners were expected to attend the community meeting at the Second Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church.
The meeting is open to the public and is being facilitated by the Department of Justice, city spokeswoman Lisa Mosca said.
Mosca said the purpose of the meeting was to identify issues affecting the community in the wake of the shooting of the Miami Gardens teen, as well as to recommend action plans.
"The meeting’s purpose will be to address the overall picture of the community’s issues and to determine the action plan that will help to resolve those community issues rather than addressing individual complaints," Mosca said in a statement.
The meeting was scheduled after city officials met with members of The Dream Defenders, a group of student protesters who have held demonstrations following the shooting.
Earlier this month, the group marched from Daytona to Sanford to demand the arrest of George Zimmerman, who was arrested on Wednesday of last week, 45 days after his fateful encounter with Martin at The Retreat at Twin Lakes.
Zimmerman has said he shot Martin, 17, in self-defense.
On Wednesday, Seminole County Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler recused herself from the Zimmerman case after a possible conflict of interest issue was raised. Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. will take the case over and preside over the bond hearing.
