Auctioneer pulls listing for George Zimmerman gun used to kill Trayvon Martin
May 12, 2016, 10:19 AM
(AP Photo)
An online auction that had planned to sell the gun that George Zimmerman used in the shooting death of a black teenager in Florida has been shut down.
Gun used to kill #TrayvonMartin removed from auction site after outcry. #GeorgeZimmerman described his gun as an 'American firearm icon.'
— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) May 12, 2016
In an interview with Orlando, Florida, TV station WOFL, Zimmerman said he had just gotten the pistol back from the U.S. Justice Department, which took it after he was acquitted in Trayvon Martin’s 2012 shooting death.
GunBroker.com was scheduled to begin the bidding on the 9 mm pistol Thursday morning, starting at $5,000.
Zimmerman, 32, referred to the gun as a “piece of American history,” on the auction site, according to news reports.
The auction listing said part of the sales money would go toward supporting police who have been dealing with the Black Lives Matter grassroots campaign and fighting pro gun-control Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
He also targeted the prosecutor in his case, Angela Corey.
Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed Martin, 17, in a gated community near Orlando. Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense. He was acquitted. Protests around the country turned violent in the wake of the verdict.
https://twitter.com/DaveGerhart/status/730797420183990274
George Zimmerman was rightfully acquitted, as anyone who knows CrimLaw can tell you.
But that doesn't mean he isn't a piece of garbage.
— Jeff B/DDHQ (@EsotericCD) May 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/andieiamwhoiam/status/730796792783069186
George Zimmerman is auctioning off the gun he killed Trayvon Martin with… What kind of sick as world is this 😭
— Brianna (@briiic_) May 12, 2016
This makes me want to puke. George Zimmerman is auctioning the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin. https://t.co/9TKBg9pmui
— Alicia Ostarello (@aliciaostar) May 12, 2016
Just when you thought unconvicted murderer George Zimmerman couldn't be any more cruel, callous or evil.
— Paul (@panderson1979) May 12, 2016
The Associated Press contributed to this report.