George Zimmerman will not face civil rights charges in relation to the shooting of Trayvon Martin, reported The Washington Post.
The civil rights division of the Justice Department started a federal investigation of Zimmerman after Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in 2012, but The Washington Post reported that officials said there is not enough evidence to support civil rights charges relating to the allegedly racially motivated shooting.
Zimmerman self-identifies as Hispanic. Martin was a 17-year-old African American.
Forty witness statements were collected by the Justice Department. The Washington Post quoted Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, as saying "I was watching the whole case pretty closely for two years, and they didn't do anything except take those 40 statements."
According to O'Mara, the statements collected "suggested that George acted in very non-racist ways. He took a black girl to the prom. His best buddy was a black guy. He mentored two black kids. He sought justice for a black homeless man beaten up by a white cop's son."
O'Mara said that the appearance of an investigation was only to quiet those upset after Zimmerman's acquittal.
Proving a hate crime can be difficult because prosecutors have to prove the intent of the perpetrator. Prosecutors would have to prove that Zimmerman intentionally followed and shot Martin specifically due to his race.
Similar standards would be applied to Darren Wilson, a white police officer, who is charged with shooting African American Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., this year.
