No Federal Charges For George Zimmerman In Trayvon Martin Killing | NBC Nightly News
Federal prosecutors say there is not enough evidence to bring civil rights charges against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Subscr...
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No Federal Charges For George Zimmerman In Trayvon Martin Killing | NBC Nightly News - Video
George Zimmerman will avoid civil rights charges forgunning downTrayvon Martinthree years ago. The U.S. State Department announced Tuesday (Feb. 23), thatinsufficient evidence led to the decision, meaning that theinvestigation could not prove Zimmerman committed ahate crime by killing theunarmed Black teen.
This young mans premature death necessitates that we continue the dialog and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface,Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
Although they thanked to DOJ for an extensive investigation (which included reviewing case evidence from the state of Florida and interviewing more than 50 witnesses) Martins family is disappointed in the conclusion.
We remain poised to do everything in our power to help eradicate senseless violence in our communities, because we dont want any other parent to experience the un-explainable loss we have endured, the family said in a statement.We will never, ever forget what happened to our son, Trayvon, and will honor his memory by working tirelessly to make the world a better place.
Zimmerman shot Martin to death in February of 12, 2012, following what he says was both a verbal and physical confrontation. The teen was on his way back from the store at the time, when Zimmerman called 911 to report someone suspicious in the Florida neighborhood.
He was tried and acquitted of second-degree murder in 2013, and has had several run-ins with the law since then.
The State Department made it clear that the lack of charges does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases.
Photo:AP/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool
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George Zimmerman Avoids Civil Rights Charges In Trayvon Martin Shooting
Sybrina Fulton, left, the mother of Trayvon Martin, and George Zimmerman who was acquitted on second degree murder charges in Martin's Feb. 26, 2012 killing. Getty Images
MIAMI -- The mother of Trayvon Martin says she's disappointed that federal prosecutors decided not to charge a neighborhood watch volunteer with a hate crime for killing her son three years ago.
Speaking with The Associated Press on Wednesday before the third anniversary of her 17-year-old son's death, Sybrina Fulton says she still believes George Zimmerman got away with murder.
"He took a life, carelessly and recklessly, and he shouldn't deserve to have his entire life walking around on the street free. I just believe that he should be held accountable for what he's done," Fulton said.
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The U.S. Justice Department announced it will not prosecute George Zimmerman on civil rights charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The...
Zimmerman claimed he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense after confronting Martin while volunteering for his neighborhood watch group. A jury acquitted him of second-degree murder the next year.
The case sparked a national conversation about race, bias and crime in part because Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, was not immediately arrested after shooting Martin, who is black.
The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that it found insufficient evidence to establish that Zimmerman willfully deprived Martin of his civil rights or killed him because of his race.
"The Justice Department is the top of the line here," Fulton said. "But what they found just wasn't enough."
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Trayvon Martin's mother: George Zimmerman got away with ...
To the surprise of pretty much no one, former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, poster-guy for Florida's flawed "stand your ground" law, will officially not face federal civil rights charges.
The non-news came this week as the Justice Department closed its investigation into the infamous shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager Zimmerman spotted walking through a Sanford neighborhood on a rainy night three years ago and assumed the worst.
As the world knows by now, Zimmerman called police and followed Martin, who was ultimately shot dead as the two scuffled.
Zimmerman told police he fired in self-defense after the 17-year-old attacked him. Jurors considering a second-degree murder charge in state court said not guilty. And even if you understood the confines of the law that jury was duty-bound to follow, this seemed incomprehensible.
How is it a man can start this kind of interaction with an innocent person and be not guilty of anything in his death even if Martin turned on the stranger who pursued him?
Some people who can't let go of the inherent wrongness in this a teenager walking home from a convenience store with his Skittles, ultimately shot dead pinned unrealistic hope to a federal investigation into, among other things, whether it was a essentially a hate crime.
Standards for proving an incident was racially motivated are high and should be. You might assume intuit, even that Zimmerman was suspicious of this tall teenager in a hoodie in part because he was black. But there is no hard evidence to prove this.
(And by the way, before anyone argues this was not a stand your ground case in state court, remember that Zimmerman's right to "stand his ground" with "no duty to retreat" was part of the instructions read to the jury. And at least one juror said afterward that stand your ground was one of the things considered.)
Zimmerman has not gone quietly on to live his life but instead seems on a reckless course. He has not always appeared sobered by the fact that someone died by his hand, even if he believes he had no choice. (His post-acquittal tour of a factory of the manufacturer of the gun he used that night, for example.) He is so known here that we follow his every exploit closely, too closely, even when he gets stopped for speeding. He has faced allegations of domestic altercations with his estranged wife and two subsequent girlfriends, none of which stuck.
It's surprising to me that people who care about him have not persuaded him to go somewhere he might have a chance for something like a normal life, now that the justice system is done with him in this.
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Carlton: Lessons from Trayvon Martin tragedy still not clear
The Justice Department will not file civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, a Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. (Reuters)
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that George Zimmerman will not face federal criminal civil rights charges for shooting and killing teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.
Zimmerman fatally shot Martin while the unarmed African American 17-year-old was walking in Sanford, Fla. The shooting became a national flashpoint, sparking a discussion of race relations that continues to reverberate since the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and other incidents across the country.
The death of Trayvon Martin was a devastating tragedy, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a statement. It shook an entire community, drew the attention of millions across the nation, and sparked a painful but necessary dialogue throughout the country.
As a result of the announcement Tuesday, the federal investigation into the shooting has been closed.
Holder said that the comprehensive examination determined that there was not enough evidence for a federal hate crime prosecution. But he addedthat Martins premature death necessitates that we continue the dialogue and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface.
Martins familysaid in a statement that they were disappointed with the findings, but thanked the people who offered prayer and other support over the years.
We remain poised to do everything in our power to help eradicate senseless violence in our communities, because we dont want any other parent to experience the unexplainable loss we have endured, Martinsfamily said. We will never, ever forget what happened to our son, Trayvon, and will honor his memory by working tirelessly to make the world a better place.
His family also thanked the Justice Department for the extensive and thorough investigation into the killing of our son. A Martin family attorney confirmed that representatives of the family met with JusticeDepartmentofficials on Tuesday to be told about the decision. They were also joined by officials from the FBI.
The decision was not unexpected, as three law enforcement officials told The Washington Postlast fall that Zimmerman was not expected to facecharges. It was announced two days before the third anniversary of Martins death and almost three weeks after what would have been Martins 20th birthday.
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George Zimmerman wont face civil rights charges in ...