Trayvon Martin Covers People Magazine, Parents Speak Out On His Tragic Death

Trayvon Martin was visiting with his dad when he was shot dead in a Florida neighborhood by a crime watch officer, Trayvon MArtin was unarmed. A special report in this week's issue of PEOPLE examines how Martin's chance encounter with crime-watch volunteer George Zimmerman turned deadly – leaving a family devastated and a country outraged.

On Feb. 26 Trayvon's unwavering taste for hoodie couture may have proved deadly. While visiting Sanford, Florida, Trayvon walked to a 7-Eleven, armed only with change, and bought a can of
Arizona ice tea and a bag of Skittles, then headed

Chris Brown Channeling Trayvon Martin Hoodies

back to thegated community where his father's girlfriend lives. A lanky 6'3" and 140 lbs., Trayvon caught the eye of George Zimmerman, 28, a local crime-watch volunteer, who phoned 911 and said,

"This guy looks like he's up to no good." Asked what the suspect was wearing, Zimmerman responded, "A dark hoodie." What happened next remains unclear – and is at the heart of a furor sweeping the country as people
demand Zimmerman's arrest. This much is indisputable: There were cries of "Help," thenZimmerman fired two bullets from a semiautomatic handgun, one of which fatallystruck the teen in the chest.

Now the U.S. Justice Department and FBI havelaunched investigations. While people across the country awaited charges, they held marches and vigils, demanding to know whyan unarmed youth with a reputation as a"good kid" had been slain. Trayvon's mother,Sybrina Fulton, 46, a local government employee, told PEOPLE, at times weeping, at times angry, "People want to make this a black and white issue, but I believe that this is about right and wrong. No one should be shot just because someone else thinks they're suspicious."


And no one should receive news of a slain son the way Trayvon's divorced parents did.When Trayvon remained missing the next morning, his father, (Tracy Martin, 45) phoned the sheriff's department. "Someone told me she'd send a police unit to help me file a missing persons report," he tells PEOPLE.Instead three police cars pulled up, and officers asked to see a photo of Martin's son.After he accessed an image on his cell phone,one cop shook his head. "He said, 'I'm going to show you a photo, and you tell me if this is your son,'" says Martin. "It was a picture ofmy son, dead."


As Fulton and Martin wait for April 10, the date a grand jury is scheduled to convene, they're trying to keep the focus on obtainingjustice for Trayvon. "This is about my son," says Fulton, her voice rising in anger. "I don'twant him to get lost in this." Trayvon's dad feels the same way. "I want his death to have an impact," he says. "I want it to be known Trayvon made a difference."