Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, talking to him on the telephone, heard the teenager saying, "get off, get off" in the moments before his cell phone cut off and he was shot dead, according to a recording of the girl's interview with a prosecutor released Friday.

Another witness, however, seems to put Martin on top of George Zimmerman for at least part of the struggle, according to another recording released Friday.

"Where I first walked out there, the black guy was on top and the only reason I can tell that was because the guy that was on the ground under him at that point wrestling was definitely a lighter color," the witness, whose name has not been made public, said in the interview.

The recordings provide the most detailed look yet into previously reported witness statements detailing the last moments of Martin's life.

Martin was shot to death February 26 while walking in the Sanford, Florida, neighborhood where he was staying during a visit with his father.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, is charged with second-degree murder in the death, which sparked nationwide protests and inflamed public passions over race relations and gun control.

The girl, whose name has not been made public, told Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda that Martin got away from the man, who turned out to be Zimmerman, but only temporarily.

He was out of breath from running away, and scared, she said, and decided not to keep running because he was close to the house where he was staying.

And as Zimmerman drew closer, the girl said, Martin called out," Why you following me for?" according to the recording.

"I hear this man, like this old man, say, 'What are you doing around here?' " the girl said.

The girl said she called out to Martin, asking what was happening, but he didn't answer. The next thing she heard was a bumping sound, followed by what might have been a scuffle.

"I could hear it a little bit, 'Get off, get off,' then the phone just hung up," the girl said.

The other witness said he heard loud noises outside his home that dark, wet night, and when he looked outside, he saw one person in dark clothing over someone who appeared to be wearing a red or white piece of apparel.

"I heard, 'Help, help, help,' and I yelled at them and said, 'Hey cut it out,' " the witness told police. He then called 911.

Zimmerman has claimed self-defense in the shooting, saying Martin charged him after the two exchanged words, knocking him to the ground and hitting his head repeatedly against a concrete sidewalk.

Prosecutors say Zimmerman profiled Martin, an African-American teenager wearing a hoodie, as a criminal and killed him, even though he was doing nothing wrong.

The witness said he couldn't say what sparked the incident.

"I didn't see how it started, I didn't see how it ended. I just saw the part where they were in an altercation on the ground," the witness said.
The recordings released Friday are the latest in a series of revelations from the official investigation into the shooting. Authorities are making details of the case publicly available as attorneys prepare for Zimmerman's trial.

Also released this week was a document filed with prosecutors by Sanford police two weeks after the shooting, urging Zimmerman's arrest.

New documents shed light on Trayvon Martin killing

"The encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement, or conversely if he had identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and initiated dialog (sic) in an effort to dispel each party's concern" the police request to arrest Zimmerman said. "There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity."

Other documents released this week include Martin's autopsy report, a fire department report on Zimmerman's injuries and an FBI analysis of emergency calls in which someone can be heard screaming in the background.

The autopsy report showed that Martin died of a gunshot wound to the chest fired from within 36 inches and that he had traces of marijuana in his blood and urine.

In his 911 call just before the shooting, Zimmerman had speculated that the teen looked like he was "up to no good or he's on drugs or something."

Martin's blood contained THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, according to autopsy results released Thursday. The autopsy was conducted February 27, the day after the teenager was shot dead.

Toxicology tests found elements of the drug in the teenager's chest blood -- 1.5 nanograms per milliliter of one type (THC), as well as 7.3 nanograms of another type (THC-COOH) -- according to the medical examiner's report. There also was a presumed positive test of cannabinoids in Martin's urine, according to the medical examiner's report. It was not immediately clear how significant these amounts were.

Suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the league's top executive made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is suing Roger Goodell for defamation. Check out the complaint against Goodell. Complaint

The suit in U.S. District Court in New Orleans claims Goodell, "relied on, at best, hearsay, circumstantial evidence and lies" in making comments about Vilma while discussing the NFL's bounty investigation of the New Orleans Saints.

Goodell has said Vilma was a leader of the team's bounty program that put up thousands of dollars for hits which took out opposing teams' star players from 2009-11, including $10,000 each on then-Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and then-Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre during the playoffs in 2010.

"Commissioner Goodell opted to make very public and unfortunately erroneous allegations against Jonathan," said Vilma's attorney, Peter Ginsberg. "By making these false and public statements, he has significantly harmed Jonathan's reputation and ability to make a living.

"By suing Commissioner Goodell in court, Jonathan opted to use a fair playing field where he has procedural rights and protections to remedy the harm Commissioner Goodell has done to him."

Saints fans who have been screaming for the NFL to produce more evidence in the bounty scandal might get their wish, writes Pat Yasinskas. Blog

Vilma wrote on his Twitter account that, "As I've said before..I NEVER PAID, NOR INTENDED TO PAY ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY, TO ANY PLAYER FOR INTENTIONALLY HURTING AN OPPONENT."

Goodell has suspended Vilma, an eight-year veteran and defensive captain, for the entire 2012 season. Vilma and three other current of former Saints who received shorter suspensions -- defensive end Will Smith, defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Scott Fujita -- all have appealed their punishments. Hargrove now plays for Green Bay while Fujita is with Cleveland.

"We have not yet reviewed the filing," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "However, our commitment to player safety and the integrity of the game is our main consideration. We recognize that not everyone will agree with decisions that need to be made."

The NFL also hired former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White in late 2011 to review its evidence in the case, and White has said the NFL's findings are corroborated by multiple independent witnesses as well as documentation.

Vilma's lawsuit, which is expected to be heard by Judge Ginger Berrigan, asks for unspecified monetary damages as well as punitive damage and attorneys fees.

The lawsuit states that Goodell, "knew and intended that Vilma would suffer severe emotional distress" when the NFL published its bounty report and handed down punishment for the 30-year-old linebacker.

An NFL investigation found that the New Orleans Saints operated a bounty system rewarding between 22 and 27 players for hard hits and injuring opposing players. ESPN.com Topics brings you full coverage of this developing story. Profile »

"Vilma will soon have to leave behind the world of professional football and will likely face difficulties in obtaining other employment and entering into new ventures as a result of Goodell's false and defamatory statements," the lawsuit said. "Media will forever mention his name in the context of the bounty investigation and fans will forever remember Vilma with ill repute rather than remember his substantial accomplishments on and off the field."

The players' association has said that the league has refused to turn over what the union would view as hard evidence that Vilma or the other sanctioned players tried to intentionally injure targeted opponents, or sponsored such behavior.

"It is certainly the case that in court, Jonathan will have a right to see whatever it is that Commissioner Goodell has been hiding from us and what Commissioner Goodell contends gave him a basis to make these false allegations," Ginsberg said. "We will have a fair and neutral judge to preside over the dispute rather than contending with the executioner also being the person making the final decision."

Vilma's lawsuit states that the linebacker "never 'pledged,' made or received payments of any kind encouraging or resulting from an opposing player being injured."

The NFL found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams oversaw a bounty program in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011 which paid off-the-books cash bonuses of $1,500 for "knockouts," or hits which forced a player out of games, and $1,000 for "cart-offs," which left players needing help off the field.

The Saints have been punished harshly as an organization. Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for all of 2012 for failing to put a stop to the program and attempting to cover it up, while general manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt six games. The club also was fined $500,000 and docked two second-round draft picks.

Williams, now with St. Louis, has been suspended indefinitely.

Payton, Loomis and Williams all have issued written public apologies regarding the bounty scandal.

A second-grader at Meridian Ranch Elementary school in Colorado Springs was pulled out of class on Wednesday for painting his face black.

Sean King dressed up as Martin Luther King, Jr. for a class project.

“It was wax museum day for the second-graders and each one dressed up as a historical figure they were assigned,” said Sean’s mother, Michelle King-Roca.
King-Roca said Sean was so excited for the project.

“He said, 'Mom, I want to wear a black suit because that’s what he wore, a black tie, a white shirt and also I want to do my face black and wear a mustache,” said King-Roca.

Sean’s parents came with him to school, as did the other second grade parents, to watch the presentations.

“Right before it was time to come in (to the classroom), the principal came up and stated he (Sean) was to take the face mask off. There was a person in the faculty that had an issue with it,” said King-Roca.

King-Roca said she and her husband, Anthony, were stunned and shocked.
“As a parent I think it’s pretty sad that you’ve got a principal and a faculty member that are acting the way they are when they should be setting an example for children,” said Roca.
Spokeswoman Stephanie Meredith spoke on behalf of the principal and said it wasn’t just a staff member who took offensive to Sean’s face paint.

“When other students are offended by something, it is the principal’s role that the educational environment is safe for all students,” said Meredith.

Meredith said there were no guidelines given for the class project, but that wearing face paint falls under the school’s dress code policy and it's not allowed.

The principal asked Sean to wash off his face, but he didn’t understand why.
“They thought it was inappropriate and it will be disrespectful to black people and I say it’s not. I like black people. It’s just a costume and I don’t want to insult anybody,” said Sean.
A member of the school’s PTA, who was also a parent participating in the class project, said a group of parents inside the classroom agreed that it was ridiculous for the school to ask Sean to wash his face.

“I’ve never seen anything like this happen before. I’ve always been extremely proud of the school and where we live. I have two boys here. I’m extremely disappointed. If my own son, who is blonde, was chosen to do Martin Luther King, Jr., I would have gotten him a black wig and painted his face too,” said Pam Page.

King-Roca said she ignored the principal’s request to take Sean’s make-up off and remained in the classroom waiting for Sean’s presentation.
She said when the principal returned to the classroom, she and her husband were asked to come to the principal’s office.

“I was upset. I started crying,” said King-Roca.
There was a discussion between three school officials, Sean’s parents and Sean, according to King-Roca.
King-Roca said she asked what the consequence would be if Sean didn’t take his face paint off and was never given an answer.
She said after getting the runaround and rude treatment, she decided to leave the school with Sean.
The district said the prinicipal was very accommodating to the parents.
"We definitely don't want anyone to feel like they're not welcome in the school," said Meredith.
The family waited in the parking lot for KRDO Newschannel 13 and was asked by the district to leave the property, according to King-Roca.
The district said Sean is allowed back at school.
His parents are not sure if they want Sean to go back.

The Varina High School community is fired up after a noose was found hanging from a tree outside of the school Wednesday.

Henrico Schools spokesperson Mychael Dickerson said school staff was notified of the noose at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. After verifying it was there, administrators immediately filed a police report.

Police have so far not commented on the report.

Several people, including the school's PTSA president, Tara Adams, have emailed photos of the noose to reporters. In her email, PTSA president Adams demanded a full investigation, calling it a deliberate act of hate. "The safety of our students is at risk," said Adams.

Henrico County Public Schools officials said they have filed a police report concerning the report.They also said they are taking the situation seriously, but are not sure if the noose was meant as a prank or a threat.

Dickerson added that schools are in SOL testing this week, making this a bad time for added distractions. He said the school's principal would notify parents of the issue.

Parents we talked to were outraged.

"It's shameful to me. Id be ashamed of it," said David Gay, a parent of a Varina High School student. "We fought to the point where everybody could go to the same schools, everybody could have the same lifestyle, to still be going through this in 2012."

Just over two weeks after the fatal shooting -- and less than a month before an arrest was made -- police in Sanford, Florida, urged prosecutors to take George Zimmerman into custody after arguing his killing of Trayvon Martin was "ultimately avoidable."

This disclosure came out Thursday, part of a wealth of information released that is related to the case -- including the medical's examiner's finding that the 17-year-old Martin had traces of drugs in his system in an autopsy conducted hours after his death.

Overall, the newly released material paints the most complete picture yet of how investigators built the case, as well as its complexity. The police perspective was most succinctly stated in a March 13 "capias request" -- a request that someone be taken into custody -- sent to the state's attorney. It speaks to the fact that Zimmerman ignored a police dispatcher's advice not to chase Martin, as well as his communications with Martin prior to the shooting.

New documents shed light on Trayvon Martin killing

"The encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement, or conversely if he had identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and initiated dialog (sic) in an effort to dispel each party's concern" the request said. "There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity."

In his 911 call just before the shooting, Zimmerman had speculated that the teen looked like he was "up to no good or he's on drugs or something."

But Martin's defenders have portrayed Zimmerman as the aggressor, accusing him of profiling the African-American teen. Plus, one expert notes the traces of the marijuana-related substance found in the teen's system -- as measured hours after his death -- don't necessarily speak to any level of intoxication, while another adds that marijuana use typically doesn't make people prone to aggression.

Martin's blood contained THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, according to autopsy results released Thursday. The autopsy was conducted February 27, the day after the teenager was shot dead.

Toxicology tests found elements of the drug in the teenager's chest blood -- 1.5 nanograms per milliliter of one type (THC), as well as 7.3 nanograms of another type (THC-COOH) -- according to the medical examiner's report. There also was a presumed positive test of cannabinoids in Martin's urine, according to the medical examiner's report. It was not immediately clear how significant these amounts were.

Dr. Michael Policastro, a toxicologist, cautioned against reading too much into the blood THC levels, adding that one cannot make a direct correlation between those findings and a level of intoxication.

He also noted levels of THC, which can linger in a person's system for days, can spike after death in certain areas of the body because of redistribution.

And Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist who hosts a show on CNN's sister network HLN, added that marijuana typically does not make users more aggressive.

Concentrations of THC routinely rise to 100 to 200 ng/ml after marijuana use, though it typically falls to below 5 ng/ml within three hours of it being smoked, according to information on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website.

While some states have zero-tolerance policies for any drug traces for driving while impaired, others set certain benchmarks, the website of California's Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs notes. In Nevada, that equates to 2 ng/ml for THC and 5 ng/ml for THC-COOH -- also known as marijuana metabolite. The cutoff level in Ohio is 2 ng/ml for THC and 50 ng/ml for THC-COOH.

According to the medical examiner's report, which was one of several documents on the case released Thursday by the office of special prosecutor Angela Corey, Martin died from a gunshot wounded to chest fired from "intermediate range" -- within 36 inches.

The autopsy report lists the manner of death as a homicide.

Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder for killing Martin in the Sanford neighborhood where the African-American teen was staying.

Martin's father, Tracy, had taken his son with him to Sanford -- about four hours away from the boy's home and where the father's fiance lived -- after the teen was suspended for 10 days from Michael M. Krop High School in Miami.

According to records obtained by the Miami Herald, Martin had been suspended from school three times: once for writing graffiti on a door, another time for school truancy and the last time due to drug residue being found in his backpack.

Speaking of her son's suspension to CNN's Anderson Cooper, Sybrina Fulton said, "Whatever he had dealings with the school, it was not criminal, it was not violent, he's never been arrested."

Just before the shooting, Zimmerman called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in his neighborhood.

In the call, Zimmerman -- a neighborhood watch volunteer -- said he was following Martin after the teen started to run, prompting the dispatcher to tell him, "We don't need you to do that."

Zimmerman apparently disregarded that advice.

Much has been made about whether Zimmerman during that call used a racial epithet in referring to Martin. But an FBI analysis, released Thursday, determined that the word could not be definitively identified "due to weak signal level and poor recording quality."

A screaming voice could be heard on other 911 calls placed by neighbors, with some speculating those screams came from Martin and others that they belonged to Zimmerman. The FBI did not make a final determination either way, citing several reasons including the fact they came during "an extreme emotional state," there weren't enough words to make a good comparison and the sound quality was low and distant.

FBI analysis -- Zimmerman's 911 call (pdf -- strong language)

Zimmerman claimed, according a police report released earlier, that he'd been "assaulted (by Martin) and his head was struck on the pavement."

According a report from the Sanford Fire Department, released Thursday, Zimmerman had "abrasions to his forehead," "bleeding/tenderness to his nose," and a "small laceration to the back of his head" when emergency personnel arrived at the scene at 7:27 p.m. -- six minutes after they were first called.

By that time, Martin had no apparent pulse, according to the fire and EMS report. Emergency personnel attempted mouth-to-mask resuscitation and chest compressions, to no avail. He was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m.

Prosecutors have said Zimmerman, who is a white Hispanic, killed the unarmed teenager unjustly after profiling him. Zimmerman, who has pleaded not guilty, has said that he shot Martin in self-defense.

The start of the trial hasn't been set.

The case put a spotlight on race relations, spurring protests nationwide and drawing prominent civil rights leaders to central Florida denouncing the actions of Sanford police and calling for Zimmerman's arrest. Special prosecutor Angela Corey announced he'd been charged on April 11, weeks after Sanford police initially declined to do so.

It also raised questions about gun laws, as well as the merits of the "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida, and similar laws in other states that allow people to use deadly force anywhere they feel a reasonable threat of serious injury or death.

This is a photo of Zimmerman's head.

Florida teenager Trayvon Martin died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired from “intermediate range,” according to an autopsy report reviewed Wednesday by NBC News.

The official report, prepared by the medical examiner in Volusia County, Fla., also found that the 17-year-old Martin had one other fresh injury – a small abrasion, no more than a quarter-inch in size – on his left ring finger below the knuckle.

Separately, a medical report on Martin’s alleged killer, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, prepared by his personal physician the day after Martin’s shooting in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26, found that the Neighborhood Watch volunteer suffered a likely broken nose, swelling, two black eyes and cuts to the scalp. That report, first reported Tuesday by ABC News, also was reviewed by NBC News.

Both documents are part of a mountain of evidence – up to 300 pages and 67 CDs of witness statements, surveillance videos and other material-- expected to be made public soon in connection with the second-degree murder case against Zimmerman.

Zimmerman allegedly shot Martin during a confrontation inside the gated community in Sanford where Zimmerman was a neighborhood volunteer and where Martin was visiting his father’s fiancée.

After first reporting a suspicious person in the neighborhood in a phone call to Sanford police, Zimmerman followed the teenager before a fatal confrontation that remains shrouded in mystery.

When police arrived at the scene to find Martin dead on the sidewalk, Zimmerman claimed he shot the teen in self-defense. Zimmerman was treated at the scene for cuts and a bloody nose, then questioned by police for hours before being released without being arrested. Authorities said at the time that they had no evidence challenging Zimmerman's account and that his conduct appeared to be justified under Florida's so-called Stand Your Ground law.

But after questions about possible racial motivation for the slaying – Martin was black; Zimmerman is a white man of Hispanic heritage – a special prosecutor took over the case and, on April 11, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. He was released on April 23 on a $150,000 bond and has been out of the public eye since then.

It is being reported by TMZ that Donna Summer -- the Queen of Disco -- died this morning after a battle with cancer.

We're told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63 years old.

Sources close to Summer tell us ... the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps. We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago ... who says she didn't seem too bad.

In fact, we're told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on.

Summer was a 5-time Grammy winner who shot to superstardom in the '70s with iconic hits like "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls."

She continued her dominance in the '80s with "She Works Hard for the Money" and "This Time I Know It's for Real."

Summer and her producer Giorgio Moroder defined the dance music era of the '70s and influenced acts like Duran Duran and David Bowie to enter the genre.

Summer married Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano back in 1980. They had two daughters together.

Former Prairie View A&M football coach Henry Frazier III has been placed on paid leave from his job as head coach at North Carolina Central after being arrested Monday night in Morrisville, N.C., and charged with assaulting a female.

The female was his wife.

According to The Durham Herald-Sun, officers from the Morrisville Police Department responded to the Frazier residence in Morrisville shortly after midnight Monday after receiving a report of a domestic assault. Frazier had left the residence by the time police arrived, but his wife told officers that the couple had been arguing and then he assaulted her, reported the Herald-Sun. Evidence of an assault was found, and Frazier was arrested after being found in his car a short distance from his home.

Frazier was charged with assault on a female (domestic) and taken to Wake County Detention Center. He was released the same day on a $1,500 bond and is scheduled to appear before a judge June 22.

NCCU released this statement on Frazier’s arrest:

“Henry Frazier III currently serves as head football coach of North Carolina Central University. The university has been informed of the alleged incident involving Mr. Frazier and his subsequent arrest. NCCU does not condone any action or activities of students, faculty and staff that violate city, county, state or federal laws. The university’s expectation of high ethical standards applies to our entire campus community. As this is a legal matter, the jurisdictions involved will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.”

Frazier, who grew up in Washington, D.C., is entering his second year as head coach at NCCU after going 2-9 last season. He was the head coach at Prairie View from 2004-10, compiling a 43-30 record and leading the Panthers to the 2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

A jury Wednesday returned a not guilty verdict for Andrew Blomberg, the former Houston police officer accused in the beating of a teenage burglary suspect. It's a verdict that has some in the community screaming racism.

It didn't take the six jurors long to return the not guilty verdict. The jury began deliberating the case at about noon Tuesday, and returned to their deliberation at 9:30am Wednesday. They returned thier verdict about an hour and a half later.

Many people don't agree with the verdict, including the police chief and the mayor, and there's no shortage of anger many are feeling over the acquittal.

Chad Holley (pictured) demonstrates where he put his hands when he was confronted by Andrew Blomberg and other ex-Houston Police Officers, during a courtroom hearing in the Harris County Criminal Justice Center in Houston

Blomberg, 29, was emotional Wednesday and we watched as he gave a head nod and whispered thank you to the jury for that not guilty verdict.

"The verdict is, we the jury find the defendant A. Blomberg, not guilty," said Judge Ruben Guerrero.

And with that message, Blomberg appeared teary eyed in the tense courtroom. He's now off the hook for his alleged actions in the videotaped beating of Chad Holley, who was 15 at the time.

"It's hard. It's hard having your life is in the jury's hands," Blomberg said afterwards.

It took the jury a total of about seven hours to find Blomberg not guilty of official oppression. We watched as he gave his wife an emotional hug after the jury's verdict.

"They worked hard. They looked at all of the evidence, and this is the right thing," said defense attorney Dick DeGuerin.

Blomberg continued embracing his parents who've sat behind him through the nine days of his trial. The jury had to determine whether Blomberg intentionally mistreated Holley during a burglary arrest back in March 2010. Prosecutors, who didn't want to go on camera today, tried convincing the jury that Blomberg unlawfully stomped on the teen's upper body two times. They also shook Blomberg's hand after the verdict.

"I just want to thank everybody that's supported me throughout this. It's been a long ordeal. This is the only thing I've ever wanted to do in my entire life, and I'm just glad that this part is finally over," Blomberg said.

"This was a just verdict," said KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy. "Police officers have different boundaries than the rest of us. This officer was acquitted because police officers get extra benefit of the doubt."

Community activist Quanell X called the verdict not simply a miscarriage of justice, but an "abortion."

"They just said to black people that the police can do whatever they want to do and get away with it. They just sent a message to all of us that our lives don't mean a (darn) thing in Harris County," Quanell X said.

Later in the day, the NAACP held a press conference, at which we were told Holley would speak. He wasn't there, but according to Quannel X, he didn't believe the verdict when he first heard it.

"I have spoken with Chad's mother. I have spoken with Chad," said Quannel X. "In fact, at first, Chad thought it was a joke. He didn't really think it was really a not guilty verdict. He was shocked. He was hurt and he absolutely lost faith in the system."

Blomberg is the first of four indicted HPD officers to stand trial in the Chad Holley beating case. He was facing up to a year in jail or a $4,000 fine. When Blomberg was asked if he had any regrets over what happened, he replied, "No, I don't."

Detroit pastor and gospel singer Marvin Winans, who delivered the eulogy at pop star Whitney Houston's funeral this year, was robbed and carjacked at a gas station in his home city Wednesday afternoon.

Winans, pastor at Perfecting Church on Detroit's east side, had just walked out of the Detroit station's convenience store and was about to pump gas into his SUV when four men exited the store and attacked him, he told reporters.

The attackers kicked him and took his wallet and his purple 2012 Infiniti QX56 SUV, he said. Winans suffered cuts and bruises to his face, hands and arms, and his pants were torn.

“This kind of nonsense just has to stop ... it’s just the savageness of what’s happening in the streets. We just have to take a look at ourselves and say this has to stop,” he told reporters.

Detroit police are investigating.

Winans delivered Houston's eulogy at her February funeral in New Jersey. He also officiated at Houston's 1992 marriage to R&B singer Bobby Brown.

The early-morning slaughter of four Florida siblings at the hands of what authorities say was their mother is an "almost unheard of" case, crime experts said Wednesday.

Investigators are still trying to determine what happened at the Port St. John home of 33-year-old Tonya Thomas early Tuesday morning. But Patricia Pearson, author of "When She was Bad: How and Why Women Get Away with Murder," said mass killings with women as a perpetrator are rare -- and when they do happen, they typically aren't committed with guns.

"If a gun was used, that's almost unheard of," Pearson told reporters.

Women make up about 5% of the ranks of mass killers, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University. And most cases in which women kill their families involve young children, said Fox, the author of "Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder."

Sheriff's deputies in Brevard County say Thomas turned a .38-caliber revolver on herself after killing her two sons, 15-year-old Jaxs Johnson and 12-year-old Joel Johnson, and two daughters, 17-year-old Pebbles Johnson and 13-year-old Jazlin Johnson. The children went to a neighbor's house when the shooting started, with at least one reporting being shot, according to recordings of 911 calls released by the sheriff's department Tuesday -- but they returned while neighbors were on the phone with deputies, and more shots followed.

"The two kids were in the front yard, one banging on the front door, 'Help us! Help us!'" a neighbor told dispatchers. "There was so much confusion going on we couldn't tell who shot who, and then when I was talking to you the one kid said his mom shot him."

"I cried so much," slain boy's classmate says

Investigators don't know a motive for the killings, said Lt. Tod Goodyear, a spokesman for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. But he said neighbors have described a history of public arguments among Thomas and her children, and Jaxs Johnson was arrested after a pair of fights with his mother in April.

The teen was charged with domestic violence after a pair of fights with his mother, according to records released by the sheriff's office. In the first, on April 8, he knocked out a window with his bicycle during a fight; Thomas told deputies "she is attempting to get him into different programs to help with his issues."

The following day, she said, her son punched and kicked her when she tried to wake him for school, then ran out of the house. She again called deputies, who arrested him on April 10, Goodyear said. He spent at least two days in juvenile detention after the arrest and had a court date scheduled for Tuesday, Goodyear said.

Thomas herself had been arrested on domestic violence charges in 2002, after a fight with her former boyfriend, the children's father, Goodyear said.

Fox said the circumstances appear to be a case of "suicide by proxy," in which a family member takes the lives of her loved ones "out of a warped sense of love" before killing herself.

"Typically, the perpetrator is suicidal, feels life is miserable and doesn't want to go on," Fox said. "But why does she take her children? Because she wished to be reunited them in the afterlife or wants to spare them the misery of this life."

Usually the victims in such cases are young children, however -- "partly because young children are vulnerable," he said. "Older kids can run away."

And the reported circumstances are "really unusual," far different from typical cases involving either women or men.

In an e-mail to CNN, Pearson said that in cases where women kill their children, "They target them because that is their sphere of power, and also their source of stress." But she added, "I've never seen a case where the children were this old, however. They're almost always under 5."

Chuck Brown, the gravelly voiced bandleader who capitalized on funk’s percussive pulse to create go-go, the genre of music that has soundtracked life in black Washington for more than three decades, died May 16 at the Johns Hopkins University hospital in Baltimore. He was 75.

The death was confirmed by his manager Tom Goldfogle. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Mr. Brown had been hospitalized for pneumonia.

Known as the “Godfather of Go-Go,” the performer, singer, guitarist and songwriter developed his commanding brand of funk in the mid-1970s to compete with the dominance of disco.

Like a DJ blending records, Mr. Brown used nonstop percussion to stitch songs together and keep the crowd on the dance floor, resulting in marathon performances that went deep into the night. Mr. Brown said the style got its name because “the music just goes and goes.”

In addition to being go-go’s principal architect, Mr. Brown remained the genre’s most charismatic figure. On stage, his spirited call-and-response routines became a hallmark of the music, reinforcing a sense of community that allowed the scene to thrive. As go-go became a point of pride for black Washingtonians, Mr. Brown became one of the city’s most recognizable figures.

“No single type of music has been more identified with Washington than go-go, and no one has loomed so large within it as Chuck Brown,” former Washington Post pop music critic Richard Harrington wrote in 2001.

Mr. Brown’s creation, however, failed to have the same impact outside of the Beltway. The birth of go-go doubled as the high watermark of Mr. Brown’s national career. With his group the Soul Searchers, his signature hit “Bustin’ Loose” not only minted the go-go sound, it spent four weeks atop the R&B singles chart in 1978.

“Bustin’ Loose” was “the one record I had so much confidence in,” Mr. Brown told The Post in 2001. “I messed with it for two years, wrote a hundred lines of lyrics and only ended up using two lines. .?.?. It was the only time in my career that I felt like it’s going to be a hit.”

It was Mr. Brown’s biggest single, but throughout the 1980s “We Need Some Money,” “Go-Go Swing” and “Run Joe” became local anthems, reinforced by radio support and the grueling performance schedule that put Mr. Brown on area stages six nights a week.

While rap music exploded across the country, go-go dominated young black Washington, with groups including Trouble Funk, Rare Essence and Experience Unlimited following in Mr. Brown’s footsteps.

Mr. Brown performed less frequently in his final years but still took the stage regularly. He would often comment on his golden years in rhyme.

“I’m not retired because I’m not tired. I’m still getting hired and I’m still inspired,” he said in 2006. “As long as I can walk up on that stage, I want to make people happy. I want to make people dance.”

Charles Louis Brown was born in Gaston, N.C., on Aug. 22, 1936. He never knew his father, Albert Louis Moody, a Marine. He took the surname of his mother, Lyla Louise Brown, a housekeeper who raised her several children in poverty.