Christopher Serino, cop who said George Zimmerman should be charged, is transferred from investigative unit
(CBS) SANFORD, Fla. - The Sanford Police Department investigator who informed his superiors that he believed there was enough evidence to charge George Zimmerman with manslaughter for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin is being transferred from the investigative unit to the patrol division.
Pictures: George Zimmerman charged with murder
According to the Sanford Police Department, Christopher Serino made the decision to transfer "of his own volition."
Serino's un-redacted report detailing his findings about the shooting the night of Feb. 26 was released Tuesday.
In his report, Serino, who interviewed Zimmerman in the days following the shooting, wrote that in following Martin, Zimmerman's actions were "inconsistent with those of a person who has stated he was in fear of another subject." He wrote that Zimmerman had at least two opportunities to speak to the teen and "defuse the situation." He also noted that Zimmerman "failed to identify himself" as a concerned citizen or neighborhood watch member on two occasions that night.
Serino also reported that he thought Zimmerman's head injuries were "marginally consistent with a life-threatening episode, as described by him, during which neither a deadly weapon nor deadly force were deployed by Trayvon Martin."
According to the report, Serino recommended that Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter on March 13, one day after former Sanford police chief Bill Lee held a news conference announcing there was not enough evidence to charge Zimmerman.
The state's attorney declined to press charges and it was not until a month later, after a national outcry about the case, that Zimmerman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
Last week, Zimmerman's attorney released videoof the former neighborhood watch volunteer walking police through the shooting scene the day after he shot Martin.
Complete coverage of the Trayvon Martin case on CBS News
