ORLANDO, Florida (AP) – Following protests calling for the arrest of a Florida neighborhood watch captain who fatally shot an unarmed black teen, the U.S.Justice Department says it will investigate the case.
By Craig Rubadoux, Florida Today via AP
Rallies like this one in Titusville were held across Florida demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, a black teenager fatally shot by a white neighborhood watch volunteer.
By Craig Rubadoux, Florida Today via AP
Rallies like this one in Titusville were held across Florida demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, a black teenager fatally shot by a white neighborhood watch volunteer.
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George Zimmerman, 28, claims he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last month in self-defense during a confrontation in a gated community. Police have described Zimmerman as white; his family says he is Hispanic and not racist.
Zimmerman spotted Martin as he was patrolling his neighborhood last month and called the police emergency dispatcher to report a suspicious person. Against the advice of the dispatcher, Zimmerman then followed Martin, who was walking home from a convenience store with a bag of candy in his pocket.
BLOG: Report: Shooter in racially charged death often called cops
The Justice Department said in a statement late Monday that the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office will join in the agency's investigation.
The case has garnered national attention. An online petition urging local authorities to prosecute Zimmerman has drawn more than 500,000 signatures at website Change.org.
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton is expected to join Sanford city leaders in a Tuesday meeting to discuss with residents how the investigation is being handled. The Justice Department said its community relations service will be in Sanford this week to meet with authorities, community officials and civil rights leaders "to address tension in the community."
Earlier Monday, college students around Florida rallied to demand Zimmerman's arrest.
Authorities may be limited by a state law that allows people to defend themselves with deadly force.
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.
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.
Martin's parents and other advocates have said the shooter would have been arrested had he been black.
"You would think that Sanford is still in the 1800s, claiming that this man can call self-defense for shooting an unarmed boy," restaurant owner Linda Tillman said.
Florida congresswoman Corrine Brown, along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review the case, and White House spokesman Jay Carney said earlier Monday during a briefing that officials were aware of what happened.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Trayvon Martin's family," Carney said. "But obviously we're not going to wade into a local law enforcement matter."
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.
The "Stand Your Ground" law's legislative sponsor, Florida Rep. Dennis Baxley, said it wasn't written to give people the power to pursue and confront others.
"That's not what this legislation does," said Baxley. "Unfortunately, every time there is an unfortunate incident involving a firearm, they think it's about this law, and it's not."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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