DoJ, FBI Announce Probe in Trayvon Martin Case | |
| By: David Dayen Tuesday March 20, 2012 6:00 am | |
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The Justice Department and the FBI, responding to a growing display of outrage, will open an investigationinto the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year-old African-American killed in a gated community in Sanford, Florida by a neighborhood watch captain.
The story of Martin’s death slowly but persistently reached the public consciousness in the three weeks since the incident on February 26. Martin, walking to a 7-Eleven near his father’s house for refreshments at halftime of the NBA All-Star game, was confronted by the watch captain (of a group that is not a registered neighborhood watch organization), George Zimmerman, who decided he was a suspicious character.
Zimmerman called in the perceived threat to a 911 dispatcher, a common occurrence for the criminal justice student and frequent reporter of disturbances to the police. Zimmerman then chased after Martin (against the wishes of the 911 dispatcher), confronted him, and fired a single shot that killed him.
The story of Martin’s death slowly but persistently reached the public consciousness in the three weeks since the incident on February 26. Martin, walking to a 7-Eleven near his father’s house for refreshments at halftime of the NBA All-Star game, was confronted by the watch captain (of a group that is not a registered neighborhood watch organization), George Zimmerman, who decided he was a suspicious character.
Zimmerman called in the perceived threat to a 911 dispatcher, a common occurrence for the criminal justice student and frequent reporter of disturbances to the police. Zimmerman then chased after Martin (against the wishes of the 911 dispatcher), confronted him, and fired a single shot that killed him.
