NBC issues statement regarding Zimmerman 911 audio edit

New York - NBC is now talking about the audio of Zimmerman's 911 that they aired.

The call was edited for NBC's "Today" program and the show failed to label the clip as being abridged from the original Zimmerman 911 phone call in February.

The following is a transcription of the edited audio clip:

     Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

Below is the unedited transcription:

     Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

     Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

     Zimmerman: He looks black.

In its statement, NBC said, "During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret. We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our viewers."

Critics of the edited abridged clip claim it portrayed Zimmerman as racially motivated on the night of Feb. 26. Zimmerman admitted to shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claims the action was taken in self-defense.