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George Zimmerman Planned to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin | George Zimmerman Planned to Auction Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The firearm that George Zimmerman used to shoot Trayvon Martin in 2012 went on sale for $5,000 on Thursday, generating a torrent of denunciations and extending the notoriety of a case that galvanized the nation. | |
For Mr. Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of murder charges in the killing of Mr. Martin, a black 17-year-old, the announcement of the sale was the latest in a string of episodes that attracted national scrutiny. Mr. Zimmerman set off outrage in September by retweeting an image of Mr. Martin's corpse. | |
Mr. Zimmerman, 32, announced that he intended to auction the handgun he had used in the killing. He said that the firearm had recently been returned to him by the Justice Department and that he hoped to use some of the proceeds to fight violence against law enforcement officers by members of Black Lives Matter; to ensure “the demise” of the career of Angela Corey, the prosecutor who put him on trial; and to counter Hillary Clinton’s “anti-firearm rhetoric.” | |
Mr. Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, has been on the campaign trail with Mrs. Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee for president. | |
“This is a piece of American history,” Mr. Zimmerman wrote on the listing. | |
A listing for the weapon, a Kel-Tec PF-9, appeared on the auction website gunbroker.com but was quickly removed. The page displayed a note that said, “Sorry, but the item you have requested is no longer in the system.” | |
Multiple email and phone messages left with gunbroker.com, based in Georgia, were not answered on Thursday. | Multiple email and phone messages left with gunbroker.com, based in Georgia, were not answered on Thursday. |
The ad reappeared later on unitedgungroup.com, but. | |
Mr. Zimmerman told an Orlando newspaper that the first auction site could not handle the web traffic or the publicity. | |
Mr. Zimmerman’s auction plan incited a wave of criticism from politicians, sports figures, Hollywood entertainers and others. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from Brooklyn, released a statement calling Mr. Zimmerman a “coldblooded killer” who should be in prison. On Twitter, the move was described as “sick,” “disgusting” and “beyond tasteless.” | |
It was not the first time Mr. Zimmerman had tried to monetize Mr. Martin’s death. | |
A fund-raising site he set up seeking donations shortly after his arrest brought in about $200,000 in less than a month. Mr. Zimmerman and his wife at the time, Shellie, spent $36,000 of that in less than three weeks, making car payments, paying off credit cards, buying cellphones and paying phone contracts in advance. | |
The move backfired: When the court learned Mr. Zimmerman had amassed a secret stash, he wound up back in jail with a huge bail to pay. | |
Mr. Zimmerman then created a legal defense site, with autographed thank-you cards sent in exchange for donations. Mr. Zimmerman’s former lawyer, Mark O’Mara, said that despite the fund, he was still owed about $1 million. | |
“He knows he owes me some money,” Mr. O’Mara said. “He doesn’t have it, and I’m moving on. If he wins the lottery, I may want my million.” | “He knows he owes me some money,” Mr. O’Mara said. “He doesn’t have it, and I’m moving on. If he wins the lottery, I may want my million.” |
Mr. Zimmerman, who was an insurance underwriter and a college student in 2012, has since sold paintings online. He signed autographs at a gun show but was not paid for the appearance, the organizer said. | |
In 2014, a boxing match with the rapper DMX was scrapped when the promoter had second thoughts. | In 2014, a boxing match with the rapper DMX was scrapped when the promoter had second thoughts. |
Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Mr. Martin’s parents, said the family was appalled by the proposed gun sale. | |
“It’s insulting,” Mr. Crump said. “To everybody else — the public, the media — it’s a hashtag, it’s a cause, it’s a news story. To them, that’s their child.” | “It’s insulting,” Mr. Crump said. “To everybody else — the public, the media — it’s a hashtag, it’s a cause, it’s a news story. To them, that’s their child.” |
Mr. Zimmerman defended the auction plan on Wednesday during an interview with WOFL, a broadcaster in Orlando. | |
“I’m a free American; I can do what I’d like with my possessions,” he said, adding: “I thought it’s time to move past the firearm. And if I sell it and it sells, I move past it. Otherwise, it’s going in a safe for my grandkids and never to be used or seen again.” | |
Mr. Zimmerman could not reached for additional comment. | |
Four months after his 2013 acquittal, he was arrested and charged with domestic aggravated assault after he and his girlfriend had an argument at their home. The case was later dropped. | |
Last year, he was injured during a violent confrontation with another motorist in Central Florida. The man fired a gun into Mr. Zimmerman’s truck, causing him to be injured by flying glass. Mr. Zimmerman suggested that Thursday’s auction was timed to coincide with the anniversary of that confrontation, which happened on May 11, 2015. | Last year, he was injured during a violent confrontation with another motorist in Central Florida. The man fired a gun into Mr. Zimmerman’s truck, causing him to be injured by flying glass. Mr. Zimmerman suggested that Thursday’s auction was timed to coincide with the anniversary of that confrontation, which happened on May 11, 2015. |
Last August, news outlets reported that a Florida gun store that had been sued for declaring a “Muslim-free zone” had started selling prints of a Confederate flag painted by Mr. Zimmerman. | Last August, news outlets reported that a Florida gun store that had been sued for declaring a “Muslim-free zone” had started selling prints of a Confederate flag painted by Mr. Zimmerman. |
Asked on Wednesday about the criticism he could expect over the gun auction, Mr. Zimmerman told WOFL, “They’re not going to be bidding on it, so I couldn’t care less about them.” | Asked on Wednesday about the criticism he could expect over the gun auction, Mr. Zimmerman told WOFL, “They’re not going to be bidding on it, so I couldn’t care less about them.” |
He told the station that he had faced repeated threats against his life. “What I’ve decided to do is not cower,” he said. | |
Mr. Zimmerman ended his auction listing with the Roman saying “Si vis pacem, para bellum.” It translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war.” | |