Martin family attorney disputes ex-police chief 's rationale for his firing . At every turn in the 40-minute interview with CNN 's Howell , Lee doggedly defended his investigators , saying race never played a role in any decision and that his officers `` conducted an unbiased review . '' The former chief, who was fired in December, said he had been told to fire the officers because they were not cooperating with a federal investigation into whether their actions contributed to Martin's death. Lee : Department did n't release 911 tapes because they could have hampered probe . Lee defends `` sound '' investigation and says race never played a role in probe .
Martin family attorney disputes ex-police chief 's rationale for his firing . The former chief, who was fired in December, said he had been told to fire the officers because they were not cooperating with a federal investigation into whether their actions contributed to Martin's death. Lee : Department did n't release 911 tapes because they could have hampered probe . Lee defends `` sound '' investigation and says race never played a role in probe .