A Florida jury of six women late Saturday found George Zimmerman not guilty of second degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in a case that has sparked a fiery national debate over racial profiling and self-defense laws.
The panel had deliberated more than 16 hours over two days until delivering the verdict at nearly 10 p.m. Eastern Time, after which Zimmerman, who appeared stoned-faced as the verdict was announced, showed a slight smile of relief, according to a report by Reuters, and shook hands with his lawyers.
Zimmerman's parents were seen embracing each other, his mother's eyes full of tears.
"I think the prosecution of George Zimmerman was disgraceful," said his attorney Don West. "As happy as I am for George Zimmerman, I'm thrilled that this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty."
Martin's parents, on the other hand, were not in the courtroom during the reading of the verdict, although his father, Tracy Martin, tweeted later his son would have been proud of the fight his family waged for him in court.
"Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered," Tracy Martin wrote. "Together can make sure that this doesn't happen again."
Zimmerman, 29, who is Latino and white, said Martin, 17, attacked him the night of February 26, 2012, in the central Florida town of Sanford.
Prosecutors contended during the trial that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator in his gated community, was a "wannabe cop" who tracked down the teenager, disregarding warnings not to by local during a cell phone call before the shooting, and killed him without justification.
Bernie de la Rionda, the assistant state attorney who was the chief prosecutor in the case against Zimmerman, said he and his two fellow prosecutors were disappointed about the trial's outcome.
But, de la Rionda also said, "we accept it. We live in a great country that has a great criminal justice system. It's not perfect, but it is the best in the world and we respect the jury's verdict."
If the jury had found him guilty of second-degree murder, Zimmerman would have faced a sentence of up to life in prison. The jurors also had the option of convicting him of manslaughter.
Shortly after the verdict was read, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People called on the Obama administration to pursue civil rights charges against George Zimmerman.
"BREAKING: Zimmerman acquitted on all charges.We will update you as we work to pursue civil rights charges against Zimmerman through the DOJ," the NAACP's official Twitter account tweeted Saturday evening after the acquittal.
The civil rights organization also tweeted out a petition asking the federal Justice Department "open a civil rights case against Zimmerman.
"The Department of Justice has closely monitored the State of Florida's prosecution of the case against George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin murder since it began," the petition reads, according to a report at DailyCaller.com "Today, with the acquittal of George Zimmerman, it is time for the Department of Justice to act."
The NAACP further wrote "the most fundamental of civil rights - the right to life - was violated the night George Zimmerman stalked and then took the life of Trayvon Martin...We ask that the Department of Justice file civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman for this egregious violation."
Roslyn Brock, NAACP chair, was also quoted by Reuters saying, "Today, justice failed Trayvon Martin and his family."
Within minutes of the verdict, another civil rights leader, Jesse Jackson tweeted a general plea to "avoid violence, it will lead to more tragedies. Find a way for self-construction not deconstruction in this time of despair."
As of the time of this writing, at 12:40 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said it had not received any reports of violent reactions to the verdict, particularly in and around Sanford, where about 30 percent of the residents are black.
"It's very quiet so far," sheriff's department spokeswoman Kim Cannaday told Reuters.
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