No federal charges for Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin death

Kevin Johnson and Yamiche Alcindor | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption DOJ won't file charges against Zimmerman The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it isn't filing charges against George Zimmerman for the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012. Video provided by Newsy

The Justice Department 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."

Zimmerman shot Trayvon, 17, on Feb. 26, 2012, as the teen walked back to a relative's home after purchasing snacks at a convenience store in Sanford, Fla.

Federal authorities opened an investigation into the teen's death shortly after the 2012 fatal shooting. They halted the inquiry 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.

The federal investigation resumed after Zimmerman's acquittal in state court. Federal investigators reviewed the evidence generated by Florida's investigation and prosecution and independently conducted 75 witness interviews and reviewed other encounters Zimmerman had with law enforcement in Florida, the Justice Department said. Federal authorities also retained an independent biomechanical expert who assessed Zimmerman's descriptions of his struggle with Trayvon and the shooting.

The investigation reviewed events from the moment of their first encounter through the fatal shooting to determine whether Zimmerman approached Trayvon in a "threatening manner" or used force against him because of his race, the Justice Department said.

"Our decision not to pursue federal charges does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases," said acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division.

Prosecutors from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, officials from the FBI and the Justice Department's Community Relations Service met Tuesday with Travyon's family and their representatives to inform them of the findings of the investigation and the decision, the Justice Department said in a written statement.

Trayvon Martin's family, in a statement released Tuesday afternoon, said it was "disappointed'' by the decision.

"We remain poised to do everything in our power to help eradicate senseless violence in our communities, because we don't want any other parent to experience the un-explainable loss we have endured,'' the statement said referring to work with a foundation named for Trayvon.

"We will never, ever forget what happened to our son, Trayvon, and will honor his memory by working tirelessly to make the world a better place."

Daryl Parks, an attorney for Trayvon Martin's family, said an injustice still exists though neither system could hold Zimmerman accountable.

In the weeks after Trayvon's death, much of the nation was consumed with a racially charged narrative about a unarmed black teen killed while walking home with a bag of Skittles and iced tea. In addition to race, the case focused new attention on the definition of self defense.

George Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman told USA TODAY his sibling did not act based on any racial notions the night of the shooting but shot in self-defense.

Don West, Zimmerman's attorney, said he relayed the news to his client shortly after being informed by the Justice Department.

"Certainly, there is great relief that the case is closed,'' West said. "This was a tragedy for the Martin family and tragedy for George. For a long time, he (Zimmerman) had a target on his back.''

Contributing: Donna Leinwand Leger