On Thursday, Florida’s state attorney is expected to release FBI reports that may give information on whether race played a role in the evening 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by 28-year-old neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. According to court documents filed in June, Special Prosecutor Angela Corey is expected to release investigative reports that are amid evidence in the second-degree murder trial to Zimmerman’s attorney.
The United States Justice Department took up a civil rights investigation following allegations that race played a role in the killing of Martin on February 26, in a gated community in Sanford. The case became high-profile after the nation supported Martin’s family and expressed outrage, saying Zimmerman racially-profiled the teen, describing him as “suspicious” during a 911 call and disregarding a police dispatcher’s request not to follow Martin. Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting, said he killed the 17-year-old in self-defense. Details regarding Zimmerman’s Myspace account, surveillance video, and e-mails between Zimmerman and ousted Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee will be released as part of the evidence handover.
