Killing of Trayvon Martin

On the evening of February 26, 2012, in the gated community of The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida, George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch coordinator, fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager who was visiting his father's fiancée. Martin was unarmed at the time of his death.

Zimmerman had called the Sanford police non-emergency line at approximately 7:09 p.m. to report a "suspicious" person walking through the neighborhood. During the call, Zimmerman told the dispatcher he was following Martin; the dispatcher responded that this was not necessary, and Zimmerman said "Okay." After the call ended, a violent encounter occurred between Zimmerman and Martin, ending with Zimmerman fatally shooting Martin approximately 70 yards from the townhouse where Martin was staying.

Sanford Police Officer Timothy Smith arrived within roughly a minute of the shot and found Zimmerman standing near Martin, who was lying face down and unresponsive. Zimmerman stated he had shot Martin. Paramedics declared Martin dead at 7:30 p.m. Zimmerman was questioned for approximately five hours and then released; police stated there was no evidence to refute his claim of self-defense and that Florida's Stand Your Ground statute prevented an arrest at that time.

The case drew significant public attention and criticism of the initial police response. Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee temporarily stepped down amid public criticism and was later fired in June 2012. Lead investigator Christopher Serino, who had recommended a manslaughter charge via a capias request, said he had felt pressured by fellow officers to press charges despite believing there was insufficient evidence, and was later reassigned.

The investigation was transferred to the State Attorney's office and then to Special Prosecutor Angela Corey, who was assigned by Florida Governor Rick Scott. On April 11, 2012, an affidavit of probable cause was filed and Zimmerman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Justice, including the FBI, also opened investigations, the latter examining potential civil rights violations. The Justice Department's civil rights investigation was terminated in February 2015, about 35 months after it began, for lack of evidence, and the FBI investigation was concurrently terminated for the same reason.

An autopsy by the Volusia County medical examiner found Martin died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, fired at close or intermediate range. Numerous witnesses gave varying and sometimes conflicting accounts of the physical struggle preceding the shooting, including disputes over who was heard calling for help on 911 recordings. Zimmerman maintained throughout that he acted in self-defense after Martin allegedly confronted and struck him.

Zimmerman was tried on the second-degree murder charge in a widely reported trial and was acquitted by a jury after presenting a self-defense argument. Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, did not accept a later apology offered by Zimmerman in a media interview.