Cop: Zimmerman didn't properly ID himself

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Murder defendant George Zimmerman could have defused the confrontation with Trayvon Martin had he identified himself as a neighborhood watch leader, the lead investigator wrote in a report released yesterday.

Another investigator wrote that, on the night of the shooting, two lie detector tests given to Zimmerman found he wasn't lying about what happened. The results of such tests are usually not admissible in court.

Sanford detective Chris Serino said Zimmerman verbally confronted the unarmed 17-year-old before the physical fight that ended when Zimmerman shot and killed Martin. But he didn't say he was with the neighborhood watch group. The two got into a fistfight and Zimmerman, 28, maintains that Martin attacked him and was beating him up before he fatally shot him. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

Serino wrote in his report that Zimmerman and witnesses said the defendant, who was in his car, avoided Martin when he first saw him because he, as he told investigators, "was afraid of Martin." Serino also said that, later in the encounter, Zimmerman got out of his SUV and followed Martin.

"His actions are inconsistent of those of a person who has stated he was in fear of another subject," Serino wrote. Based on his investigation, Serino recommended a charge of manslaughter to the state attorney.

In a video released last week by his attorney, Zimmerman told investigators his side of the story. He said he grabbed his gun from a holster on his waist before Martin could get it, and shot the teenager once in the chest. After firing, he said he thought he missed because Martin didn't immediately fall over.

Zimmerman said Martin had been on top of him, slamming his head against the ground and smothering his mouth and nose with his hand and arm. The tape shows two butterfly bandages on the back of his head and another on his nose. There are red marks on the front of his head.