SANFORD, FL – A jury in Sanford, Florida has found George Zimmerman not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin.
George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17 year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012 after the two skirmished. Zimmerman claimed self defense; Martin was unarmed.
The case set off a national debate on racial profiling.
According to the New York Times, “the six female jurors entered the quiet, tense courtroom, several looking exhausted, their faces drawn and grim. After the verdict was read, each assented, one by one, and quietly, their agreement with the verdict.”
Zimmerman was released from custody.
The NAACP has urged further action by authorities in the case.
“The Department of Justice can still address the violation of Trayvon’s most fundamental civil right — the right to life, and we are urging them to do so,” the NAACP said Saturday evening after the verdict was reached. “Sign our petition to the Department of Justice. Tell them to file civil rights charges against George Zimmerman.”
