FBI Begins Investigation In Trayvon Martin Case
The FBI has opened a “parallel investigation” into the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The 17-year-old was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman who claims that he shot Martin in self-defense, in February.
The Christian Post reports that federal agents are currently questioning potential witnesses. The state of Florida is also conducting its own investigation. The FBI is looking into the Trayvon Martin case to see if the teen’s civil rights were violated. According to MSNBC, the FBI is particularly interested in Zimmerman’s previous 911 calls which also involved young “black males.” It’s unclear if the 911 dispatchers asked for this information or if Zimmerman volunteered the information on his own.
Zimmerman admits that he shot Martin but claims that he acted in self defense. His lawyer, Craig Sonner, said:
“George Zimmerman was acting in self-defense on the night in question, and when all the information is released, it will show that… The facts of the evening… have been spun by the media.”
The Martin family has also been calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the State Attorney State Attorney Norm Wolfinger. According to the family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, Wolfinger met with police chief Bill Lee after Martin was killed and decided not to press charges against Zimmerman.
Crump, in a letter to Deputy Assistant Attorney General Roy Austin, wrote:
“I understand (the State Attorney’s office has) other people who do this on a regular basis and for whatever reason (Wolfinger) came that night and so we’re trying to have this whole matter investigated because we just cannot understand how George Zimmerman was not arrested for killing an unarmed teenager… We respectfully request that the United States Department of Justice investigate the circumstances surrounding this meeting between Chief Bill Lee and State Attorney Norm Wolfinger, in which they disregarded the lead homicide investigator’s recommendation to arrest George Zimmerman for manslaughter.”
Are you happy that the FBI has started its own investigation into the case of Trayvon Martin?
