Less than 24 hours after the jury in the George Zimmerman trial found the defendant not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, President Obama issued a statement from the White House urging "calm reflection" as rallies were held around the nation Sunday demanding justice for the slain 17-year-old.
The president, who last year said, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon," called the death a tragedy but insisted, "We are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken."
Obama also brought up his crusade to enact tougher gun control legislation, adding, "We should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives."
Meanwhile, the verdict outraged members of the African-American community and human rights activists, who insisted that Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, had profiled Martin, an African-American, following a string of burglaries in the gated Sanford, Florida, community where their confrontation occurred on February 26, 2012.
Besides the demonstrations, which were passionate but never turned violent, an online NAACP petition calling for a federal prosecution of Zimmerman collected hundreds of thousands of signatures and at one point crashed from heavy traffic.
The trial itself lasted three weeks with a verdict reached by the six women in the jury after they had deliberated for 16 hours between Friday afternoon and late Saturday evening.
Zimmerman could have been found guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter, which at one point the jury asked for a clarification of the lesser charge.
The trial featured numerous witnesses who described what they saw that night in February 2012 with some saying Martin was on top of Zimmerman during their fatal confrontation while others maintained the reverse was true.
Medical experts disagreed about the severity of the wounds Zimmerman received during the fight while people were also split on who was yelling for help during a series of 911 calls recorded by witnesses.
There was also unanimous agreement that Zimmerman probably should have never engaged Martin after he saw him returning from a store after the teen had bought iced tea and a bag of Skittles candy.
But as for what happened from the point they first spoke to the time that Zimmerman fired the bullet that entered Martin's heart, the only side of the story was given by the defendant, which the prosecution tried to punch holes in.
In closing arguments, prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda described Zimmerman as a liar and a frustrated wannabe cop who set out to prove himself against an unarmed teen he wrongly profiled.
Zimmerman's lead attorney implored the all-female jury during his closing argument to acquit his client, assuring them Zimmerman acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Martin.
"You want to take away somebody's liberty? They've got to prove their case. The burden is on the state," said defense lawyer Mark O'Mara.
Following the verdict, defense lawyer Don West said the "prosecution of George Zimmerman was disgraceful," adding, the jury's verdict "kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty."
However, prosecutor Angela Corey said the state was convinced of the defendant's guilt because "We truly believe the mindset of George Zimmerman and the words that he used and that he was out doing what he was doing fit the bill for second-degree murder."
Now that he is free, attorney O'Mara said Zimmerman will get his gun back, arguing that he needs the weapon "even more" than before because "there are a lot of people out there who actually hate him, though they shouldn't."
Zimmerman is expected to have other court battles, some that he might initiate.
"I think there are going to be a number of civil suits. I would be very surprised if any of those civil suits are filed against George Zimmerman and we welcome them," O'Mara said.
He indicated that Zimmerman may file suits against others, however.
Later Sunday, the four prosecutors in the case told ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman that they believed Martin was actually begging for his life after Zimmerman drew his gun on him but was shot anyway in “cold blood.”
Lead prosecutor de la Rionda referred to Zimmerman as a “lucky man” after the not guilty verdict but called him a coward for not taking the witness stand. Defendants are not required to do so although Zimmerman’s attorneys claimed their client wanted to give his side of the story.
Meanwhile, the prosecutors believe that Zimmerman would have never attempted to follow Martin in the first place if he wasn’t carrying a loaded gun.
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