Trayvon Martin mom |
Trayvon Martin |
George Zimmerman |
The
Department of Justice is launching an investigation into the shooting death of
a black Florida teenager by a neighborhood watch captain last month.
In
a statement released Monday, the DOJ said the investigation would be a joint
operation between its Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the
Middle District of Florida, and the FBI.
"The
department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all of the
evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the
investigation," the statement said.
The
DOJ said it will also assist and cooperate with the state authorities on the
investigation.
17-year-old
Trayvon Martin was killed by 28-year-old George Zimmerman as he was walking
home through Zimmerman's Sanford, Florida gated community last month.
Zimmerman
had called 911 to report Martin as a suspicious person, and has claimed he shot
Martin, who was unarmed, in self-defense.
The
department's announcement comes after Florida college students held a rally
demanding for Zimmerman's arrest. They claimed Martin had done nothing to
provoke the attack from Zimmerman, and that he was a victim of racial
profiling.
"I
don't think a man who exited his vehicle after the 911 dispatcher told him to
stay inside the car can claim self-defense," Carl McPhail, a 28-year-old
Barry University law school student, said at a rally in Sanford.
Zimmerman
has not been charged in the case. Although police have described him as white,
his family says he is Hispanic and not racist.
Prosecutors
may not be able to charge Zimmerman because of changes to state law in 2005.
Under the old law, people could use deadly force in self-defense only if they
had tried to run away or otherwise avoid the danger.
Under
the new law, there is no duty to retreat and it gives a Floridian the right
"to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly
force," if he feels threatened.
"Prosecutors
can have a hard time making a case if there is no one else around to contradict
a person who claims self-defense," said David Hill, a criminal defense
attorney in Orlando.
So
far, Sanford police have said there is no evidence to contradict Zimmerman's
claims.
"If
there is nobody around and you pull a gun, you just say, `Hey, I reasonably
believed I was under imminent attack. Hey, sorry. Too bad. But you can't
prosecute me,"' Hill said, somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
Gun
control advocates said the case is emblematic of permissive gun laws in
Florida, which was among the first states to allow residents to carry concealed
weapons. Florida was the first state to pass a "Stand Your Ground"
law, which has been dubbed a "Shoot First" law by gun control
advocates.
Currently,
about half of all U.S. states have similar laws, said Brian Malte, legislative
director of the Brady Campaign, which describes itself as the nation's largest
organization dedicated to the prevention of gun violence.
0 comments:
Post a Comment