By Justin Sink
George Zimmerman, the man who allegedly shot and killed African
American teenager Trayvon Martin, was charged Wednesday with
second-degree murder, opening the latest chapter in a case that has
become a proxy for national controversies over gun rights and racial
tension.
"It is the search for justice for Trayvon Martin that has brought us
to this moment," Florida state attorney Angela Corey said at a news
conference in Jacksonville.
George Zimmerman, the man who allegedly shot and killed African
American teenager Trayvon Martin, was charged Wednesday with
second-degree murder, opening the latest chapter in a case that has
become a proxy for national controversies over gun rights and racial
tension.
"It is the search for justice for Trayvon Martin that has brought us
to this moment," Florida state attorney Angela Corey said at a news
conference in Jacksonville.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who police say fatally shot
Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, on Feb. 26 in a gated
community in Sanford, Fla., has turned himself in and is awaiting a
bond hearing, authorities said. He faces a maximum sentence of life in
prison, according to prosecutors.
Corey would not reveal where Zimmerman was being held out of security concerns.
"That's for his safety as well as everyone else's safety," Corey said.
Martin, 17, was killed in February while walking home from a local
convenience store. Zimmerman claimed to have acted in self-defense
against the unarmed Martin, and local officials cited the state's
"stand your ground" law in opting against arresting him and making
initial charges.
But thousands of protesters in cities across the country protested
that the decision not to charge Zimmerman was racially motivated. The
issue became a political lightening rod after President Barack Obama
offered his sympathies to the Martin family, noting that if he had a
son, "he would look like Trayvon."
That drew criticism from some Republicans, who argued the president
was unfairly politicizing an issue through the prism of race.
On Wednesday, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich told CNN that
the president's decision to weigh in on the controversy was "very
dangerous."
"My only point was we ought to have equal empathy for every American
that gets killed," Gingrich said. "This particular case has become
sort of a national case where the national media can talk about it,
but there are tragic cases around the country involving Americans of
every ethnic background and of every age and they deserve some real
concern too and some real effort to understand what happened to them
and why."
Corey emphasized her decision was based on the facts of the case, and
not political pressure.
"There is a reason cases are tried in the court of law and not the
court of the public, or the media," Corey said.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott urged caution in a statement issued shortly
before the charges were announced.
"We are fortunate in our state that most Floridians and local civic
leaders are law-abiding, responsible citizens who all want justice to
prevail," Scott said. "I trust in the goodness of all Florida
citizens to allow our justice system to reach an appropriate
conclusion in this case."
The news of Zimmerman's arrest came just a day after his attorneys
said they had fallen out of contact with their client and were no
longer representing him.
"As of the last couple days, he has not returned phone calls, text
messages or emails," attorney Craig Sonner said. "He's gone on his
own. I'm not sure what he's doing or who he's talking to."
CNN reported that Zimmerman had hired a new attorney, Mark O'Mara,
although Corey was unable to confirm that report.
Earlier Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice
Department faces a "very high barrier" in bringing federal hate crime
charges in a case like the Martin shooting.
"Many of you are greatly — and rightly — concerned about the recent
shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a young man whose future has been
lost to the ages," Holder said to the civil-rights group National
Action Network. "If we find evidence of a potential federal criminal
civil rights crime, we will take appropriate action, and at every
step, the facts and law will guide us forward."
More:
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/221097-zimmerman-arrested-charged-with-second-degree-murder
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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