Federal Charges Ruled Out in Trayvon Martin Death

George Zimmerman will not face federal civil rights charges in relation to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

That’s the official decision of the U.S. Justice Department, according to The Tampa Tribune.

While the Justice Department stated last October that civil rights charges were unlikely in the shooting death, the official determination didn’t come down until Tuesday.

Zimmerman is the Sanford neighborhood watch captain who was charged with shooting the unarmed 17-year-old Martin back in 2012, sparking controversy related to Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. The federal agency had spent more than two years investigating the case.

The Justice Department cited “insufficient evidence” for its determination not to pursue civil rights charges, USA Today reported. Attorney General Eric Holder was quoted by the paper as saying the evidence collected failed to meet the “high standard for a federal hate crime prosecution.”

Zimmerman was acquitted on second-degree murder charges back in 2013.

See Also:

• Federal Charges for George Zimmerman Unlikely
• George Zimmerman Reality TV Show Idea Floated
• George Zimmerman Involved in Road Rage Incident, Cops Say
• George Zimmerman Protests Not Over Yet

Zimmerman has received much notoriety since his acquittal. The 30-year-old was implicated in a road rage incident and has also had brushes with the law related to domestic violence issues and traffic violations since the acquittal.

At one point, George’s older brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., said he would like to see the Zimmerman image – especially George’s – rebranded. He floated the idea of a reality TV show, but there were no takers for the concept.

What are your thoughts on this? Did the Justice Department make the right call? Share your opinions by commenting below!

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