Zimmerman charged with second-degree murder in Trayvon Martin shooting

Eric Holder discusses Trayvon Martin killing

Attorney General Eric Holder promised Wednesday that the Justice Department will take action in the Trayvon Martin case if it finds evidence that a federal civil rights crime has been committed.

“Many of you are greatly — and rightly — concerned about the recent shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a young man whose future has been lost to the ages,” Holder said before the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by Al Sharpton. “If we find evidence of a potential federal criminal civil rights crime, we will take appropriate action, and at every step, the facts and law will guide us forward.”

“I can assure you that, in this investigation, and in all cases, we will examine the facts and the law,” he added.

However, Holder admitted later in the day that the bar is set very high for a federal civil rights case.

Zimmerman Family To AG: Arrest Black Panthers For Hate Crimes

The family of George Zimmerman, 28, has requested that Attorney General Eric Holderarrest the New Black Panther Party for hate crimes, reports the Daily Caller.

George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., has been charged with second-degree murder in the 17-year-old’s death. Zimmerman is being held without bail.

“Just moments ago we spoke with Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the sweet parents of Trayvon,” Angela Corey, the special prosecutor investigating the case, said at a news conference in Jacksonville. “They now know charges have been filed, and that George Zimmerman is in custody.”

“We did not come to this decision lightly,” she said, declining to discuss specifics of the investigation. “We’re law enforcement. We enforce the law.”

Zimmerman turned himself in and is in police custody in Florida, Corey said, but would not disclose where he is being held.

According to CNN, Zimmerman had left the state of Florida, but returned when he learned he would be charged. Zimmerman will now be transferred to the Seminole County Jail, Corey said.

The announcement comes a day after Zimmerman’s attorneys said that they were dropping the case because their client had stopped communicating with them. (On Sunday, Zimmerman launched a website seeking donations for his legal and living expenses.) According to Corey, Zimmerman had retained a new attorney “within the last hour.”

That attorney, Mark O’Mara, said Zimmerman would plead not guilty, and hoped the judge would consider a bond.more from source