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Family of Florida boy killed by neighborhood watch captain seeks arrest, case turned over to state attorney's office
By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets
March 14, 2012

Hello everybody! Did you miss me? I know it has been awhile since I last blogged. I have been in and out of the office for the past three weeks. First, I was selected to attend a journalism seminar at the prestigious Poynter Institute in beautiful St. Petersburg, FL, and then I took a few days off for some much needed “me” time, but I’m back now! While at Poynter, I learned a lot of new things that I am confident will translate into better coverage of The Crossroads. So stay tuned!

To jump back into the swing of things, today’s blog will be about a story that has been plastered on social media and several national and international news outlets since last week. I think we would be remiss to ignore this news story here in the Crossroads.

On Feb. 26, Trayvon Martin was shot to death in Sanford, a small city near Orlando, Fla. The 17-year-old was shot by George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain of a local gated community.

Just before the shooting, Zimmerman, who is white, called 911 to report a suspicious person, according to Reuters . The 911 dispatcher told Zimmerman not to confront Martin.

Zimmerman, however, got out of his car and went after the teen on foot, chasing him between two rows of townhouses.

A fist fight reportedly broke out, and a 13-year-old boy told the news outlet that he saw them on the ground but separated, according to Reuters.

Even though he outweighed Trayvon Martin by more than 100 pounds, Zimmerman claims he then shot the unarmed teen in self-defense.

By the time police arrived, the teenager lay dead with a gunshot wound in the chest.

He was carrying a small amount of cash, some candy and an iced tea.

Lee reportedly claims he does not have probable cause to arrest Zimmerman, but that may not actually be true.

Martin's parents and black community members are outraged at the way Sanford Police have handled the investigation.

There have been no charges in the neighborhood watch shooting, and there are accusations of police misconduct and witness contamination.

The investigation has since been handed over to the Florida State Attorney's Office.

In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the NAACP expressed doubt in the Sanford Police Department and asked the Department of Justice to review the case.

For the full story, click this link.

What are your thoughts?