SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — A law enforcement official says that charges are being filed in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
The official with knowledge of the investigation says a prosecutor will announce charges against George Zimmerman today at 6 p.m. Zimmerman’s arrest is also expected soon.
The official didn’t know the charge and spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information. The official said that authorities know where Zimmerman is.
Zimmerman has asserted since the February 26 killing that he shot the 17-year-old in self-defense after the two fought. The case has sparked protests and calls for Zimmerman’s arrest.
A factor in the pace of the probe has been Florida’s so-called stand your ground law, which gives people wide latitude to claim self-defense in a killing and other altercations.
The man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is said to be losing weight and suffering from high levels of stress from the intense public scrutiny he is under, his former lawyers said. Meanwhile, a special prosecutor said she will soon make an announcement in the case and the nation’s attorney general vowed separately to take action if evidence warrants it.
“He is largely alone. You might even say he is emotionally crippled by virtue of the pressure of this case,” said Hal Uhrig, a former lawyer for George Zimmerman. The protests and the profound isolation of going into hiding may have pushed him “a little bit over the edge,” said Uhrig and his colleague, Craig Sonner.
The two attorneys announced Tuesday they no longer were representing the neighborhood watch volunteer because they haven’t heard from him since Sunday.
“As of the last couple days, he has not returned phone calls, text messages or emails,” Sonner said. “He’s gone on his own. I’m not sure what he’s doing or who he’s talking to. I cannot go forward speaking to the public about George Zimmerman and this case as representing him because I’ve lost contact with him.”
The attorneys said that, against their advice, Zimmerman contacted special prosecutor Angela Corey, who will decide if he should face charges, but prosecutors in her office refused to talk to him without his lawyers present.
“To handle it this way, suggests that he may not be in complete control of what’s going on. We’re concerned for his emotional and physical safety,” Uhrig said.
A spokeswoman for Corey’s office didn’t respond to phone and email messages requesting comment, although late Tuesday Corey released a statement saying she would make an announcement on the case within 72 hours. The statement did not specify what new development in the case would be released.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder also said the Justice Department is conducting a thorough and independent review of the case after launching its own investigation three weeks ago. During comments before a civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, Holder said that preventing and combating youth violence and victimization is a top priority of his department.
