Report: Feds likely won't charge George Zimmerman for shooting of Trayvon Martin

George Zimmerman likely won't face civil rights charges for the 2012 shooting of unarmed black 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, according to anonymous law enforcement officials interviewed by the Washington Post.

Following racial tensions and protests across the country, the Justice Department has been carrying out an investigation into whether Zimmerman followed and shot Martin because of his race, which would violate the teenager's civil rights.

Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in a 2013 Florida state trial. If Zimmerman isn't convicted on federal civil rights charges, he will likely end up facing no legal punishment for Martin's death.

People with knowledge of the investigation told the Washington Post that it is nearly certain the federal investigation will be closed without charges. The major reason, the Washington Post's Sari Horwitz reported, is there's a high burden for proving such crimes in court:

The difficulty in bringing charges in the Martin case highlights the challenges for investigators in federal criminal civil rights cases. Under federal law for hate crimes, prosecutors would have to show not just that Zimmerman followed Martin because of his race but also that he shot the youth intentionally because he was African American....

Federal officials have privately said all along that a civil rights case against Zimmerman would be hard to prove.

"These are very difficult cases to make," said one law enforcement official with knowledge of the case. "There is a high burden. We have to prove that a person was doing this with the intent of depriving someone of his civil rights."

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via