This Day in History:
Trayvon Martin
Is Shot and Killed February 26, 2012 Walking home from a convenient
store in Sanford, FL, 17-year-old Martin was
shot and killed by 28-year-old neighborhood
watch volunteer George Zimmerman. After reporting Martin as
suspicious, Zimmerman had
followed the unarmed teenager,
despite police dispatch advice to stop. After the shooting, Zimmerman,
who claimed to have acted in self-
defense during a physical altercation,
was questioned but not arrested by arriving police. Martin had no criminal record and
his murder sparked nationwide
protests, prompting President Barack
Obama to say, “If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon.” Zimmerman was eventually
charged with second-degree
murder by a special prosecutor
appointed by Florida’s governor. Following a month-long trial,
a jury of six women found
Zimmerman not guilty.