Witness Claimed Trayvon Martin Was on Top of Zimmerman Before Fatal Shot (March 2012)

In the weeks after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot dead in Sanford, Florida, by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, the case became a national flashpoint \u2014 and the accounts of what happened on the night of February 26, 2012, were bitterly disputed.

In late March 2012, one new account entered the picture. An anonymous witness, identified only as "John," told Sanford police \u2014 and then a Fox 35 Orlando reporter \u2014 that he had seen Martin on top of Zimmerman shortly before the fatal shot. According to his account, the man on the bottom, wearing a red sweater, was crying out for help while "John" was calling 911.

The account, if believed, lent weight to Zimmerman's claim that he had fired in self-defense. Zimmerman's attorney, Craig Sonner, appearing on CBS, said his client was not motivated by racism.

The country was not waiting quietly. Protesters in several cities marched wearing hoodies, like the one Martin had worn that night, demanding Zimmerman's arrest. Zimmerman was arrested in April 2012; after a trial that kept the country transfixed, he was acquitted in July 2013 \u2014 a verdict that became its own national flashpoint.

Editor's note: this post is a snapshot from March 2012, when this witness account was new. It describes one disputed account among several, not an established finding of fact.

Trayvon Martin may have attacked a Neighborhood Watch captain before the man shot dead the unarmed teen in a gated community in Florida, an anonymous witness who spoke to police claimed yesterday.

The witness, known only as John, told Sanford police that he saw Martin on top of George Zimmerman shortly before the fatal shot that has led to a national outcry, including a huge 'hoodie' march in Philadelphia last night.

He recounted the details to Fox 35 News in Florida.

Killing: Trayvon Martin, left, was shot dead by George Zimmerman, right, in a gated community in Florida

No bias: Speaking on CBS, Zimmerman's attorney Craig Sonner said that the Neighbourhood Watch volunteer isn't racist

The witness told FOX 35 in Orlando that he saw evidence of a fight between Martin and Zimmerman, which could lend credence to the gunman's claim that he was acting in self-defence.

'The guy on the bottom who had a red sweater on was yelling to me: "Help, help