George Zimmerman, right, talks to court security investigator Robert Hemmert during a recess after a jury question in the 25th day of his trial at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, in Sanford, Fla., Saturday, July 13, 2013. Zimmerman has been charged with the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Credit: AP
The U.S. Department of Justice has put a hold on the evidence in the George Zimmerman case, according to the Sanford Police Department.
The DOJ announced earlier this week that there was an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin. Officials are looking to determine whether Zimmerman violated Martin's civil rights.
"Multiple agencies are working with the civil rights division to evaluate evidence from the federal investigation and recent state trial, the office of public affairs said in a statement issued Monday," News 13 in Orlando reports.
Read the full statement below:
"As the Department first acknowledged last year, we have an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin. The Department of Justice's Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to evaluate the evidence generated during the federal investigation, as well as the evidence and testimony from the state trial. Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the Department's policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial.”
This means that Zimmerman will not get his gun back or any other evidence police confiscated for their investigation until the DOJ lifts the hold.
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