Reports have surfaced that George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot and killed an unarmed teen, may have uttered a racial slur during the 911 call he made. INSIDE EDITION has the latest.
Sheryl Underwood, co-host of The Talk, got teary talking about the shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
"This child should have been able to walk wherever he was going to go, and not have to worry about being shot," said Underwood.
Major celebrities are also expressing their outrage.
Cher tweeted: "We must not forget Trayvon Martin! This beautiful young man was murdered in Fla."
Mia Farrow tweeted: "It's not safe for a black male walking in the streets of America."
And former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice weighed in on MSNBC.
"First of all, it's a great tragedy. This young man has been deprived of life, and that's an enormous tragedy," said Rice.
Nationwide uproar over the shooting is intensifying. What's being called a Million Hoodie March is being organized with protestors gathering in Union Square in Manhattan and marching to the United Nations. Word is being spread on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. Protestors are being asked to wear hoodies because that's what Martin was wearing when he was shot.
In the meantime, there is a shocking new twist in the case.
The shooter, neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, uttered what some say is a racial slur during the now infamous 911 call—just moments before shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
"Which entrance is that that he's heading towards?" asked the 911 operator.
"The back entrance. (blank)," said Zimmerman.
The bleeped words are spoken under his breath—almost as a whisper.
INSIDE EDITION asked audio expert Frank Piazza to enhance the recording, and the results show how difficult it is to be certain.
"A lot of people listen to this audio, and they believe they hear him saying a racial slur. Do you hear that?" asked INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd.
"I don't necessarily hear a racial slur. I hear foul language in the playback, but a racial slur? I would not go on record saying I heard a racial slur," said Piazza.
The importance of what Zimmerman said would be crucial to the case.
"It may lay some groundwork for elevating a potential sentence into the area of a hate crime," said TruTV's In Session correspondent Beth Karas.
