George Michael Zimmerman (born October 5, 1983) is an American known for the shooting of Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. On July 13, 2013, he was acquitted of second-degree murder in Florida v. George Zimmerman. As of 2015, he remained the subject of media interest due to ongoing controversy over the Trayvon Martin case, as well as a number of other incidents and allegations of violence involving Zimmerman subsequent to his acquittal.Zimmerman was born on October 5, 1983, in Manassas, Virginia, and is the son of Gladys Cristina (née Mesa) Zimmerman and Robert Zimmerman, Sr. Zimmerman is the third of four children and his siblings include a brother, Robert Jr., and two sisters, Grace and Dawn. Gladys Zimmerman was born in Peru and has some black ancestry, through her Afro-Peruvian maternal grandfather. Robert Zimmerman Sr. is an American of German descent and served 22 years in the military working for the Department of Defense for the last 10 years of his military career. Before retiring to Florida in 2002, Zimmerman Sr. had served as a magistrate in Fairfax County's 19th Judicial District. George Zimmerman had identified himself as Hispanic on voter registration forms.
Trayvon Benjamin Martin (February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012) was a 17-year-old African American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, in Sanford, Florida. Martin, who was serving a school suspension, had gone with his father on a visit to his father's fiancée at her townhouse at The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford. On the evening of February 26, Martin went to a convenience store and purchased candy and a canned drink. As Martin returned from the store, he walked through a neighborhood that had been victimized by robberies several times that year. Zimmerman, a member of the community watch, spotted him and called the Sanford Police to report him for suspicious behavior. Moments later, there was an altercation between the two individuals in which Martin was shot in the chest. Zimmerman, who was injured in the altercation, was not charged at the time of the shooting by the Sanford Police, who said that there was no evidence to refute his claim of self-defense and that Florida's stand your ground law prohibited law-enforcement officials from arresting or charging him. After national media focused on the tragedy, Zimmerman was eventually charged and tried in Martin's death. A jury acquitted Zimmerman of second-degree murder and of manslaughter in July 2013.
Tracy Martin said he took his son to Sanford "to disconnect and get his priorities straight". Martin had been to Twin Lakes several times before with his father, and sometimes played football with the kids in the neighborhood. On the night of the shooting, Tracy was out to dinner with his fiancée, Brandy Green, while Trayvon and Green's son stayed at home, watching TV and playing video games. Trayvon went out, walking to a local 7-11 store where he bought Skittles for Green's son and an Arizona-brand watermelon-flavored fruit juice drink.After returning from the store to the Twin Lakes neighborhood, George Zimmerman, a volunteer Neighborhood Watch person, spotted Martin, who was 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) tall and weighed 158 pounds (72 kg) at the time of his death.[7] Zimmerman called Sanford police to report Martin, who he said appeared "suspicious". Moments later, there was an altercation between the two individuals in which Zimmerman shot Martin, killing him. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and was eventually charged in Martin's death. On June 10, 2013, Zimmerman's trial began in Sanford and on July 13, a jury acquitted him of second-degree murder and of manslaughter charges.
