Trayvon Martin,17 was shot and killed on February 26, 2012,
as he was walking back from the 7/11 with a packet of Skittles and a can of
juice. The man suspected and accused of second degree murder and man slaughter
was George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old multi-racial Hispanic American and neighborhood
watch coordinator for the gated community where Martin was temporarily staying
and where the shooting took place.
Zimmerman was tried for second-degree murder and manslaughter
and found not guilty yesterday Saturday,
July 13, 2013
Statements given by Zimmerman have indicated that on the
night of the shooting Zimmerman was in his vehicle on a personal errand when he
noticed Martin walking beyond the gated fence inside the community. Statements
read that Zimmerman then called the Sanford Police Department to report
Martin's actions as suspicious, saying "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" and "looking at all the houses", although
according to a police report, there was "no indication that Trayvon Martin
was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter".While
still on the phone with the police dispatcher, Zimmerman exited his vehicle,
and after concluding his telephone call with police, was involved in a violent
encounter with Martin. The encounter ended with Zimmerman fatally shooting
Martin once in the heart at close range.
When police arrived on the scene, Zimmerman stated that
Martin had attacked him and that he had shot Martin in self-defense using a
weapon Zimmerman had on him.[3] Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose and from
two vertical lacerations on the back of his head. EMTs treated Zimmerman at the
scene, after which he was taken to the Sanford Police Department. Zimmerman was
detained and questioned for approximately five hours. He was then released
without being charged. At the time, police said they found no evidence to
contradict Zimmerman's claim of self-defense.
The circumstances of Martin's death, including the fact that
he was unarmed, and the initial decision not to charge Zimmerman received
national and international attention and scrutiny. Allegations of racist
motivation for both the shooting and police conduct, along with intense media
reporting, contributed to public demands for Zimmerman's arrest. Questions were
also raised about Florida's stand-your-ground law. On March 22, 2012, a Special
Prosecutor, Angela Corey, was appointed to take over the investigation. On
April 11, 2012, the Special Prosecutor filed a charge of murder in the
second-degree against Zimmerman, who then turned himself in and was placed in
custody.
Zimmerman's trial began on June 10, 2013, in Sanford,
Florida and only yesterday Saturday, July 13, 2013, the jury found Zimmerman
not guilty of second-degree murder and of manslaughter. The six women in the
jury delivered their verdict after more than 16 hours of deliberations.
Zimmerman’s acquittal has since welcomed unrest in three Californian
cities as protesters who are angered by the jury’s decision held largely
peaceful demonstrations but broke
windows and started small street fires in Oakland.
As death threats and public outrage pour across the country “George
Zimmerman will be “looking over his shoulder for life” as outraged NAACP and
Trayvon Martins family weigh the civil suit.
Beyonce called for a moment of silence for young Trayvon in
a music concert as Young Jeezy released a song in Trayvon’s memory and Russel
Simmons called for peace after George was acquitted.
Supporters say the verdict was a slap in the face for American people
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