U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said George Zimmerman of Florida may have been acquitted of murder charges in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, but in the eyes of the federal government, he’s still living in a shadow of suspicion.
Mr. Holder said he’s still not sure if the federal government will pursue civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman, Breitbart.com reported.
The shooting occurred in February 2012. And Mr. Zimmerman was found not guilty on all second-degree murder charges, with the jury determining that the shooting was defensive.
But to Mr. Holder, Mr. Zimmerman is far from cleared of any wrongdoing.
“I’m not sure exactly how much longer that will take, but we will get to a point where we are able to make a determination” about a civil rights lawsuit, he said, Breitbart.com reported.
The White House has watched the case closely. President Obama even weighed in at one point, suggesting during one speech that Mr. Zimmerman was guilty of racial profiling and during another public statement that his own son, if he had one, would look like Trayvon.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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