Police Chief Bill Lee of Sanford, Florida, who drew criticism for his leadership role in the Trayvon Martin case, was fired on Wednesday, according to his spokeswoman, Sara Brady. Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte made the decision, Brady said. In April, city commissioners voted not to accept Lee’s letter of resignation after he said he wanted to step down.
Lee wanted step down after public fury for his lack of action in the case of 17-year-old Martin, who was walking from a convenience store back to his father’s fiance’s home when he was shot and killed by 28-year-old George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer, has claimed self-defense for killing Martin, who was unarmed, and has been charged with murder in the second-degree. The case has since manifested into a high profile case, due to nation-wide rage, and is debated on whether it was an act of racial profiling by Zimmerman or Florida’s “stand-your-ground” law.
