The killing of a black teen has drawn national attention and scrutiny.
- What happened?
Trayvon
Martin, 17, was shot and killed on Feb. 26 during a confrontation in a
gated community in Sanford, Fla., with George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old
neighborhood watch volunteer who was patrolling the neighborhood.
Martin, seen in this family photo, was unarmed and walking to the home
of his father's fiance from a convenience store with a bag of Skittles
in his pocket.
(AP Photo/ Martin family photo)- What is Zimmerman's side of the story?
George
Zimmerman, seen in this booking photo, has not spoken publicly. He told
police that he spotted Martin as he was patrolling his neighborhood on a
rainy evening and called 911 to report a suspicious person. In the 911
recordings, a dispatcher is heard telling Zimmerman not to follow
Martin. However Zimmerman ignored that advice and got out of the car to
go after Martin.
Zimmerman told police he killed Martin in self-defense.
(AP Photo/Orange County Jail via Miami Herald)- What does race have to do with it?
Martin
was black, and Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.
Martin's father has said he was attacked because he was black.
Zimmerman's family says he is not a racist.
In the photo, angry community members hold a rally to demand that Zimmerman be charged.
(AP Photo/Florida Today, Craig Rubadoux)- What is the audio that many are talking about?
After
spotting Martin, Zimmerman called 911 and talked to a dispatcher, who
tells him not to go after Martin. Parts of the audio are hard to
understand. Zimmerman uses some expletives, and some people claim to
hear him using a racial slur while following Martin. Others do not hear
him saying that.
WARNING: AUDIO CONTENT CONTAINS OBSCENITIES.
- Has Zimmerman been arrested?
Police
have not arrested Zimmerman. Florida has a "Stand Your Ground" law,
which was passed in 2005 and allows a potential crime victim who is "in
fear of great bodily injury" to use deadly force in public places. The
case has been turned over to prosecutors for review.
Under the
old law, people could use deadly force in self-defense only if they had
tried to run away or otherwise avoid the danger. Under the new law,
there is no duty to retreat. However, some legal experts question
whether the law even applies because Zimmerman went against advice of a
911 dispatcher and got out of his car to engage with Martin.
The photo shows fliers about the new law that were distributed after it was passed in 2005.
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)- What has been the national reaction?
There
has been a growing national outcry for Zimmerman to be arrested. An
online petition urging local authorities to prosecute Zimmerman has
drawn more than 500,000 signatures at website Change.org.
Rallies have been held in different places in Florida and in New York City.
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton has visited with Sanford city leaders and attended a town hall meeting.
In the photo, community members demanding justice for Martin hold a rally.
(AP Photo/Florida Today, Craig Rubadoux)- What has been the fallout?
Sanford
Police Chief Bill Lee temporarily stepped down, saying that he had
become a distraction. "As a former homicide investigator, a career law
enforcement officer and father, I am keenly aware of the emotions
associated with this tragic death of a child. I'm also aware that my
role as a leader of this agency has become a distraction from the
investigation," Lee said Thursday.
Protests have also gone beyond the Florida community, to other cities in the state and New York City.
In the photo, Lee is shown speaking to the media.
(AP Photo/Julie Fletcher)- How has President Barack Obama responded?
Obama
has responded in unusually personal terms. On Friday, he vowed to get
to the bottom of what happened and said: "If I had a son, he'd look like
Trayvon. I can only imagine what these parents are going through, and
when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids."
In the photo, Obama answers a reporter's question about the case.
(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)- What's next?
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the case.
The department said it would send officials to Sanford to address building tension and meet with community leaders.
"The
department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all the
evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the
investigation," the agency said in a statement.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
776.012 Use of force in defense of person.
A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against
another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that
such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another
against the other's imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if:
(1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to
prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or
another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; or
(2) Under those circumstances permitted pursuant to s. 776.013. (see below)
776.013 Home protection; use of deadly force; presumption of fear of death or great bodily harm.
(1) A person is presumed to have held a reasonable fear of imminent
peril of death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another
when using defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or
great bodily harm to another if:
(a) The person against whom the defensive force was used was in the
process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or had unlawfully and
forcibly entered, a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle, or if that
person had removed or was attempting to remove another against that
person's will from the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; and
(b) The person who uses defensive force knew or had reason to believe
that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act was
occurring or had occurred.
(2) The presumption set forth in subsection (1) does not apply if:
(a) The person against whom the defensive force is used has the right
to be in or is a lawful resident of the dwelling, residence, or vehicle,
such as an owner, lessee, or titleholder, and there is not an
injunction for protection from domestic violence or a written pretrial
supervision order of no contact against that person; or
(b) The person or persons sought to be removed is a child or
grandchild, or is otherwise in the lawful custody or under the lawful
guardianship of, the person against whom the defensive force is used; or
(c) The person who uses defensive force is engaged in an unlawful
activity or is using the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle to
further an unlawful activity; or
(d) The person against whom the defensive force is used is a law
enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who enters or attempts
to enter a dwelling, residence, or vehicle in the performance of his or
her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in
accordance with any applicable law or the person using force knew or
reasonably should have known that the person entering or attempting to
enter was a law enforcement officer.
(3) A person who is not engaged in an unlawful
activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a
right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her
ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she
reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great
bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the
commission of a forcible felony.
(4) A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter a
person's dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle is presumed to be
doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or
violence.
(5) As used in this section, the term:
(a) “Dwelling” means a building or conveyance of any kind, including
any attached porch, whether the building or conveyance is temporary or
permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over it, including a
tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night.
(b) “Residence” means a dwelling in which a person resides either
temporarily or permanently or is visiting as an invited guest.
(c) “Vehicle” means a conveyance of any kind, whether or not motorized, which is designed to transport people or property.
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