No federal charges for George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin’s death

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The U.S. Justice Dept. said Tuesday its independent investigation found “insufficient evidence” to charge George Zimmerman with federal civil rights violations in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the evidence did not meet the “high standard for a federal hate crime prosecution,” but the decision should not end efforts to explore racial tensions in the justice system. The decision closes the federal investigation.

“This young man’s premature death necessitates that we continue the dialogue and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface,” Holder said in a statement. “We, as a nation, must take concrete steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.”

George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012 as the teen walked back home from buying candy and an Arizona ice tea in Sanford, FL. Zimmerman said he shot the teenager in self-defense.

Federal authorities opened an investigation into the teen’s death shortly after the 2012 fatal shooting.

They halted the investigation to allow the local prosecution to proceed and resumed their investigation in July 2013.

On July 13, 2013, a Florida jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, sparking protests in several cities.