Sanford , Florida ( CNN ) -- George Zimmerman apologized Friday to the family of Trayvon Martin , the unarmed African-American teen that he shot in a confrontation that riveted a nation and sparked intense discussions about race , racial profiling and gun laws . Zimmerman spoke moments before a Florida judge set a $ 150,000 bond that will let him get out of jail while he awaits trial . `` I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son , '' Zimmerman said in an unusual appeal directly to Martin 's family before he testified in the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford . `` I thought he was a little bit younger than I was , and I did not know if he was armed or not . '' Zimmerman 's attorney , Mark O'Mara , said after the hearing that his client was responding to an interview in which Martin 's mother , Sybrina Fulton , said she wanted to hear from the man who shot her son . `` He did n't want to defend himself , he did n't want to discuss the facts of the case . He heard the request of the family , and he wanted to respond to it , '' O'Mara said , adding that an attempt to apologize to the family in private was rebuffed . Attorneys for Martin 's family , however , called the apology a self-serving act by a man facing a life prison sentence if convicted of the second-degree murder charge against him . `` This was the most disingenuous , insulting thing I 've ever seen , '' said Martin family attorney Natalie Jackson . Martin 's parents were `` completely devastated '' over the decision to allow Zimmerman to post bond and eventually go free , attorney Benjamin Crump said . Prosecutors had asked that Zimmerman remain in jail without bond or that Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. set bond at $ 1 million -- an amount O'Mara said the family would be unable to handle . Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda said Zimmerman 's prior run-ins with a police officer and a woman who named him in a domestic violence injunction show that he is violent and a threat to the community . Lester , however , described the incidents as `` run of the mill '' and `` somewhat mild '' in approving O'Mara 's request for bond . With the 10 % cash payment customarily made to secure bond , Zimmerman could be freed with $ 15,000 from his family , attorneys said . He will likely remain in jail for at least a couple of days while his attorneys and authorities work out terms of his release , which also include electronic monitoring and other restrictions , O'Mara said . The judge told O'Mara to talk to authorities about his request to allow Zimmerman to leave Florida while awaiting trial . O'Mara said he is concerned about threats to Zimmerman 's safety , as well as that of his family . De la Rionda said no decision has been made on whether to allow Zimmerman to leave the state . The decision to grant Zimmerman bond followed a hearing in which his wife and parents testified that he was a caring , nonviolent man . `` I know that he is very protective of people , very protective of homeless people and also of children , '' Gladys Zimmerman testified by telephone . She said her son helped organize a campaign to `` get justice '' for a homeless man who had been beaten in Sanford , where he lived and where the shooting of Martin took place . He also ventured into a dangerous Orlando neighborhood twice a week to mentor a 14-year-old African-American boy , his mother said . She testified that she begged him not to go because of the danger . `` He said , 'Mom , if I do n't go , they do n't have nobody , ' `` she said . HLN : Zimmerman wife talks publicly for the first time . Zimmerman 's father , Robert Zimmerman Sr. , testified that his son is not a violent man despite previous incidents discussed by de la Rionda during the hearing , including a scuffle with a police officer and a dispute with a woman . `` I 've never known him to be violent at all unless he was provoked , and then he would turn the other cheek , '' Robert Zimmerman testified . According to authorities , Zimmerman has said he killed Martin in self-defense after the teenager accosted him , knocking him to the ground and bashing his head against the concrete . Zimmerman 's father testified Friday that when he saw his son the day after Martin 's shooting , he was wearing a protective cover over his nose , his face was swollen , and he had two vertical gashes on his head . He also reportedly suffered a broken nose . Timeline of case . Martin 's family and the special prosecutor appointed to investigate the case have rejected that argument , saying they believe Zimmerman disobeyed the instructions of a police dispatcher to stop following Martin , racially profiled him and unjustly killed him . Although details of the shooting remain murky , what is known is that Martin ventured out from the home of his father 's fiancee in Sanford and went to a nearby convenience store , where he bought a bag of Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea . On his way back , he had a confrontation with Zimmerman , who shot him . Zimmerman had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood , according to authorities . In the call , Zimmerman said he was following Martin after the teen started to run , prompting the dispatcher to tell him , `` We do n't need you to do that . '' Zimmerman pursued Martin anyway . After briefly losing track of the teen , Zimmerman told authorities the teen approached him and the two exchanged words . Zimmerman said he reached for his cell phone , then Martin punched him in the nose . Zimmerman said Martin pinned him down and began slamming his head onto the sidewalk , leading to the shooting . Florida to review 'stand your ground ' law . Police have said Zimmerman was not immediately charged because there was no evidence to disprove his account that he had acted in self-defense . A police report indicated he was bleeding from the nose and the back of his head . In Friday 's hearing , an investigator for special prosecutor Angela Corey 's office said authorities have no evidence showing who started the altercation that led to Martin 's death . `` Do I know ? No , '' investigator Dale Gilbreath said when asked if he knew who started the fight . He said wounds on the back of Zimmerman 's head were consistent with his skull being struck with something harder than his skull , and said under questioning from O'Mara that the object could have been a concrete sidewalk . But he said evidence in the case is not consistent with Zimmerman 's account that he was able to move away from the sidewalk just before being shot . Martin was shot once in the chest at close range , Gilbreath said . De la Rionda declined to comment on most of Friday 's proceedings , including Zimmerman 's testimony . But he said there 's more to come when the case comes to trial . `` We obviously have evidence we feel we can go forward with , '' he said . `` We did not put our entire case on today . '' Crump said Martin 's father , Tracy Martin , wept through much of Friday hearing , and the family was distraught at the prospect of Zimmerman being able to reunite with his family . `` They pray that his freedom is only temporary , because the pain he has caused this family is going to be permanent , '' Crump said . CNN 's John Couwels contributed to this report .
Investigator says authorities do n't know who started fight that led to death . Defendant 's father says his son 's face was swollen and had gashes the next day . Attorneys for Trayvon Martin 's family call apology `` disingenuous '' George Zimmerman tells the teen 's family he is sorry for what happened .