Florida shooter 'profiled' black teen

A Florida man has made a first court appearance to face murder charges, as prosecutors said he had confronted an unarmed black teen and ignored requests to wait for police. In an affidavit filed in support of the state attorney's second-degree charges, investigators on Thursday said George Zimmerman "profiled" 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, assuming he was a criminal and did not belong in the Sanford, Florida gated community as he headed home. The account of the shooting appeared to contradict Zimmerman's initial claims that Martin had attacked him first during the late February incident. The affidavit was released as Zimmerman made his first public appearance since the shooting that has triggered a nationwide debate about racism and criminal justice in the United States. Thousands of people have protested across the United States against the alleged injustice, alleging Martin was the victim of racial profiling. Looking alert, Zimmerman walked into court in handcuffs wearing a short-sleeved gray prison jumpsuit, a day after a special prosecutor announced the second-degree murder charge, in which the killing is not premeditated. If convicted, Zimmerman could face a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years which could be extended to life behind bars, according to Florida law. Judge Mark Herr set a May 29 date for Zimmerman's arraignment when he will be formally read the charges and will be allowed to request bail. His lawyer Mark O'Mara said Zimmerman plans to plead not guilty at the arraignment. Speaking only once at the hearing that lasted just a few minutes, Zimmerman answered simply "yes, sir" when Herr asked him if he was making his first appearance in the case and if he was represented by O'Mara. Until the charges were announced on Wednesday, Zimmerman had been allowed to remain free, after police opted not to arrest him, saying they believed his story that he shot Martin in self-defense. Special prosecutor Angela Corey has declined to say how she determined the charge against Zimmerman. But the affidavit said Zimmerman -- whose father is white and whose mother is Peruvian -- spotted Martin during a patrol as the black teen was returning home after buying a drink and candy at a convenience store, then exited his vehicle and followed him. Martin "was on his way back to the townhouse where he was living when he was profiled by George Zimmerman," the affidavit said. "Martin was unarmed and was not committing a crime." Zimmerman was in his vehicle when he "observed Martin and assumed Martin was a criminal," it added. The neighborhood watch volunteer then called police, and the dispatcher told Zimmerman to wait for an officer on the way, but he disregarded the request and "continued to follow Martin." During the recorded call, Zimmerman "made reference to people he felt had committed and gotten away with break-ins in his neighborhood. Later while talking about Martin, Zimmerman stated 'these assholes, they always get away' and also said 'these fucking punks,'" according to the affidavit. During the incident, Martin was on the phone. Family attorneys previously indicated that the teen was speaking with his girlfriend. "The witness advised that Martin was scared because he was being followed through the complex by an unknown male and didn't know why," the affidavit said. "Zimmerman confronted Martin and a struggle ensued," it added, without providing details of the tussle that ended when Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest. The guard's supporters say Martin attacked first, breaking Zimmerman's nose before knocking him to the ground and repeatedly slamming his head against the sidewalk. O'Mara told AFP he did not seek bond for his client because to do so would have required him to divulge evidence he plans to use to prove his client's innocence. "We want the case to calm down before we get into that," he said, adding, "we hope to have him released on bond over the next couple of weeks." Martin's family expressed joy and relief that the man who shot their son dead now will face trial. "We simply wanted an arrest -- nothing more, nothing less -- and we got it, and I say thank you," the teen's mother Sybrina Fulton told reporters in Washington after Corey announced the charges. In a separate statement, she thanked "the millions of people around the world" who signed a petition calling for justice in the case that gathered more than 2.5 million signatures.