Anger in US as Zimmerman walks free

Cleared by a Florida jury, George Zimmerman walked free from criminal charges in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin but was still under fire from civil rights leaders and critics who were dismayed by the verdict.

The six women jurors who deliberated for 16 hours over two days found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in a case that has polarised the US public.

President Barack Obama says the death of Martin was a tragedy for America.

In a statement Obama asked Americans to respect the call for calm reflection. There have been a number of rallies and protests, most of them peaceful.

Obama says Americans should ask themselves if they’re doing all they can to stem gun violence, and what can be done to prevent future tragedies like the Florida shooting.

Debates about racial profiling, guns, self-defence laws and the equality ofjustice that arose from the 2012 shooting continued after the verdict.

“I remain stunned at the decision,” civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said on CNN. “The (US) Department of Justice must intervene to take this to another level.”

Benjamin Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, said he had spoken to senior justice officials about pursuing federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman.

“When you look at comments made by young black men who lived in that neighbourhood about how they felt especially targeted by (Zimmerman), there is reason to be concerned that race was a factor in why he targeted young Trayvon,” Jealous told CNN.

Defence lawyers had argued that Martin, 17, attacked Zimmerman on the night of Feb 26, 2012, in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. Prosecutors had to prove Zimmerman committed a crime in pursuing Martin and that he did not act in self-defence.

Zimmerman, who had received death threats, now faces a possible civil wrongful death lawsuit from Martin’s family.

The tense drama that had been building for 16 months climaxed with the late-night reading of the verdict when a court clerk said “not guilty”. Zimmerman, 29, showed no emotion at first, but later broke into a smile.

Outrage over the case was triggered by the refusal of the police department in the central Florida town to arrest Zimmerman after the shooting, believing his story that he acted in self-defence when he shot Martin.

Protests began in Sanford and soon spread around the country, creating pressure that forced the Sanford police chief to step down and led Florida’s governor to appoint a special prosecutor, who brought a second-degree murder charge 45 days after the shooting.

Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, spotted Martin from his car inside the gated community where he was a neighbourhood watch coordinator and called police, believing Martin to be suspicious. The teenager was staying in the neighbourhood, the houseguest of his father’s fiancée.

Minutes later, after Zimmerman got out of his car, the two engaged in a fight that left Zimmerman with a bloody nose and head injuries. The encounter ended when Zimmerman shot Martin through the heart with a 9mm pistol.

Some critics said special prosecutor Angela Corey overcharged the case by alleging second-degree murder, saying the lesser charge of manslaughter was more appropriate.

The acquittal will weaken any wrongful death civil lawsuit that Martin’s family might bring. Such a case would have a lower burden of proof and Zimmerman, who opted against taking the witness stand in his criminal trial, might be forced to testify.

“We will seek and get immunity in a civil hearing,” said Zimmerman’s defence lawyer, Mark O’Mara.

The defence has strongly rejected accusations that Zimmerman is racist.

Civil rights leader Al Sharpton called the verdict “a slap in the face to the American people”.

Beyonce called for a moment of silence for Martin during her Mrs Carter Show World Tour concert in Nashville, Tennessee.