Trayvon Martin Murder Case
The police chief in Sanford, Florida, says he is temporarily stepping aside because his role in the Trayvon Martin case has become a "Distraction."
Bill Lee's announcement came a day after the Sanford City Commission gave him a no-confidence vote over his handling of the teenager's fatal shooting.
Justice Department officials planned to meet today with the parents of Martin, who was unarmed when he was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in the Orlando suburb last month. The federal agency has launched a civil rights investigation into the case that has riveted the nation. Ref. CNN
President Barack Obama waded into the growing national controversy of the killing of an unarmed black teenager in Florida, saying Trayvon Martin's death particularly resonated with him as an African-American parent.
"If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon," Obama said in brief remarks outside the White House.
Obama said the nation should do some "soul-searching to figure out how something like this happens."
"I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and that everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened," Obama said. Ref. CNN
Nearly three in four Americans think police should arrest George Zimmerman after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin one month ago in Florida, according to a CNN/ORC poll released today.
In the same survey, only about one in four felt that neighborhood watch members should carry guns, but a little more than half approved of "stand your ground" laws.
Martin was walking to his father's fiancee's home in a gated Sanford, Florida, community, when neighborhood watch volunteer Zimmerman shot the unarmed teen, according to police. Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self-defense, and he has not been charged. The U.S. Department of Justice and Florida officials have launched investigations into the shooting. Ref. CNN
The Trayvon Martin murder case is just so bad. There are so many race problems in our country still and we need to get rid of them if we're going to move on.
International Level: New Activist / Political Participation: 18 1.8%
The Fatal Flaw in Florida-Style 'Shoot First' Gun Laws NY Times Editorial
Gun Related News From Around The World
As the investigation of the shooting death of the teenager Trayvon Martin by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman goes forward in Florida, news accounts are reporting a toll of shootings, knifings and other violent homicides in which the state's dangerous Stand Your Ground law was successfully claimed as a defense.
The killings included domestic disputes, barroom brawls and drug violence, according to The Tampa Bay Times, which surveyed 130 cases in which the 2005... [New York Times, Editorial, via GunPolicy.org]
Source: Gun Policy News (World)
Florida protesters demand arrest in black teen's murder
Thousands of protesters marched on Saturday in the Florida city where unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin was shot dead a month ago to demand that police arrest the neighborhood watch volunteer who says he was acting in self-defense when he pulled the trigger. Ref. Source 2
State Attorney Angela Corey, appointed as a special prosecutor in the February shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, has decided against sending the case to a grand jury, her office said Monday.
"The decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case," Corey's office said in a statement.
"At this time, the investigation continues and there will be no further comment from this office," the statement said. Ref. CNN
Trayvon Martin vs George Zimmerman Court Case (Hover)
George Zimmerman Charged
A law enforcement official tells the Associated Press that the killer in the Trayvon Martin case, George Zimmerman, will be charged with second-degree murder and is in custody. The official with knowledge of the case says that the charge will be announced at a news conference at 6 p.m. ET. Ref. USAToday