Although George Zimmerman was found “not guilty” by a jury of his peers in the self-defense shooting of Trayvon Martin, Attorney General Eric Holder refuses to give Zimmerman’s gun back.
The Sanford police department confirmed that the DOJ has placed a “hold” on evidence relating to the Zimmerman trial. Officers have been instructed not to return “any pieces of evidence to their owners,” including Zimmerman’s gun.
The Daily Mail suggests this is one more sign that “the criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is seriously investigating whether civil rights charges should be filed.”
The DOJ has not said if or when it will “take custody” of the evidence being held. For now, Holder has made it clear he is “concerned about the case,” and the DOJ is examining every aspect of it to see if civil rights charges can be pursued.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.