Trayvon Martin’s Family to Meet With Justice Department Officials
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Trayvon Martin’s parents address supporters in New York City. John Moore/Getty Images(SANFORD, Fla.) — The U.S. Attorney in Central Florida and officials from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division will be meeting with Trayvon Martin’s family in Florida Thursday as they investigate the death of the 17-year-old.
The unarmed teenager was allegedly shot and killed by self-appointed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman on Feb. 26 as Martin was walking back to his father’s fiancé’s home after stepping out to buy Skittles and iced tea during the NBA All-Star Game. Just moments before Martin was gunned down, Zimmerman can be heard muttering something in a call to a police dispatcher, which many believe was a racial epithet.
Attorneys in the justice department are likely looking into whether or not Martin’s rights were deprived by Zimmerman during the altercation that led to the teen’s death. They are also looking into whether he was the victim of a hate crime.
The meeting comes amid calls that the man leading the investigation into Martin’s shooting death step down. Sanford, Fla., commissioners conducted a vote of “no confidence” Wednesday night against embattled Police Chief Billy Lee. Three of five commissioners voted against the chief, and one demanded that he resign.
It is now up to the city manager to decide whether or not to let Lee go.
Meanwhile, the Martin family took their fight to the streets of New York City Wednesday night as they linked with around 2,000 protesters who marched through Manhattan, demanding justice for the slain 17-year-old.
“We will not go politely in the night,” said the teen’s father Tracy Martin. “We will tell people in Florida that we are not alone.”
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