It was raining. Not a downpour, just that annoying Florida drizzle that makes everything feel slick and grey. On February 26, 2012, a 17-year-old kid named Trayvon Martin stepped out of a 7-Eleven with a bag of Skittles and an Arizona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail. He was just trying to get back to his dad’s place. He never made it.
People still ask: where was Trayvon Martin murdered? Honestly, the answer isn’t just a dot on a map. It’s a specific gated community in Sanford, Florida, that became the center of a national firestorm.
The exact spot is inside a townhouse development called The Retreat at Twin Lakes.
If you’re looking for the geography of it, Sanford is a suburb about 20 miles northeast of Orlando. It’s the kind of place people move to when they want quiet. But that night, the quiet was broken by a single gunshot that changed American history.
The Specific Location: The Retreat at Twin Lakes
The Retreat at Twin Lakes is located at roughly 1111 Retreat View Circle, Sanford, FL 32771. At the time, it was a 260-unit gated community. You’ve probably seen the aerial photos in the news—rows of beige and tan townhouses with small patches of grass between them.
Trayvon wasn't a stranger there, but he wasn't a resident either. He was visiting his father’s fiancée, Brandy Green. Her townhouse was his destination.
The actual shooting didn’t happen on the main road. It happened in a narrow, grassy common area—sort of a walkway—behind a row of townhouses. Specifically, the altercation ended about 70 yards from the back door of the home where Trayvon was staying.
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Think about that. He was less than a minute's walk from safety.
A Neighborhood on Edge
You have to understand the vibe of the neighborhood back then to get the full picture. The Retreat at Twin Lakes was struggling. It was 2012, and the housing market crash had hit Florida hard. Values had plummeted from $250,000 to under $100,000.
There had been a string of break-ins. Residents were scared. Because of this, they’d started a neighborhood watch, and George Zimmerman was the guy who took it most seriously. He was the "captain."
Between 2004 and the night of the shooting, Zimmerman had called the police nearly 50 times. He reported everything: open garage doors, loud parties, stray dogs, and people he thought looked "suspicious."
Why the Location Mattered in Court
The layout of the community became the backbone of the trial. Prosecutors and defense attorneys spent weeks arguing over a few dozen yards of grass and concrete.
- The Clubhouse: This is where Zimmerman first spotted Trayvon from his truck.
- The T-Junction: The spot where the sidewalk splits. This is where Zimmerman claimed he lost sight of Trayvon and where the physical fight eventually started.
- The Walkway: The dark area between the houses where the 911 callers heard screaming.
The defense argued that Trayvon doubled back and ambushed Zimmerman. The prosecution argued Zimmerman ignored the dispatcher’s advice—"We don't need you to do that"—and chased the teen down.
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Because it was a gated community with private walkways, the "Stand Your Ground" law and the nuances of Florida’s self-defense statutes were front and center. Who had a right to be in that specific patch of grass? Since Trayvon was a guest of a resident, he had every right to be there. But Zimmerman, as a resident and watch captain, felt he had a right to "protect" it.
The 7-Eleven Walk
Before he reached the gates of the Retreat, Trayvon was at a 7-Eleven located at 1101 West Airport Boulevard.
It’s a short trip. Roughly a 15-to-20-minute walk. If you trace the route today, it’s a mundane suburban trek. You cross a few streets, walk past some trees, and enter the gate. On a normal night, nobody would notice a teenager in a hoodie walking home.
But it wasn't a normal night.
The Physical Evidence at the Scene
When the police arrived at 7:17 p.m.—just moments after the shot—they found Trayvon face down in the grass. Zimmerman was standing nearby, bleeding from his nose and the back of his head.
The items found at the location became symbols:
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- The Skittles: Found in Trayvon's pocket.
- The Juice: Found near his body.
- The Kel-Tec PF-9: Zimmerman’s 9mm pistol, which was taken into evidence.
What's the Area Like Today?
If you visit Sanford now, the Retreat at Twin Lakes still looks like a standard Florida development. It’s still gated. People still live their lives there, though the community will forever be linked to that February night.
There isn't a massive monument at the exact spot of the shooting inside the complex, mostly because it's private property. However, a memorial was dedicated to Trayvon at the Goldsboro Westside Historical Museum in Sanford. It’s a place for people to reflect on the case without intruding on the residents of the townhouse complex.
Sanford itself has tried to move forward, but the "Stand Your Ground" debates sparked by the location of this tragedy continue to shape Florida law.
Understanding the Impact
Where Trayvon Martin was killed isn't just a coordinate. It's the birthplace of a movement. The acquittal of George Zimmerman in 2013 led to the first use of the hashtag #BlackLives Matter by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi.
Basically, that small, wet patch of grass in a suburban Sanford neighborhood became the flashpoint for a global conversation about race, policing, and what it means to be "suspicious."
If you want to understand the case better, the best next steps are to look at the Sanford Police Department's initial reports or the trial transcripts from Florida v. Zimmerman, which offer a granular, minute-by-minute breakdown of the movement between the 7-Eleven and the Retreat at Twin Lakes.