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Sanford police chief 'temporarily' steps down
Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee said he must "temporarily remove myself" from duty, a day after the City Commission voted 3-2 in favor of a nonbinding measure of no confidence in him.
"My role as the leader of this agency has become a distraction from the investigation …." Lee said during a news conference.
He added, "I do this in the hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to the city, which has been in turmoil for several weeks."
Lee had come under fire following concerns that his police department did not adequately handle the fatal shooting last month of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Martin was shot February 26 while walking to the house of his father's fiancee after a trip to a convenience store. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader, said he shot the unarmed 17-year-old in self-defense.
Following the shooting, thousands of people tweeted out Lee's photo and phone number asking them to flood him with calls because they believed his department had not properly investigated the case. Many of those people believed Zimmerman should have been arrested for the shooting.
"It is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process," Lee said.
Zimmerman has not been arrested. Police say they have not charged Zimmerman because they have no evidence to contradict his story that he shot in self-defense, leading to a new debate over a controversial state law.
Florida's deadly force law, also called "stand your ground," allows people to meet "force with force" if they believe that there is danger of serious harm to themselves or someone else.
Lee said he continued to stand by the police department as well as their investigation into Martin's death.
A Seminole County grand jury will convene on the matter April 10, according to State Attorney Norm Wolfinger.
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Take your racism and go home
Or better to jail.
Had Mr. Zimmerman shot a blond, white teenager instead you can be certain Mr. Zimmerman would already be sitting in the electric chair.
This case is hardly racist .It seems everytime a black person is killed its racial but when a white person is killed by a black man you hear nothing.Grow up and quit your crying.
Step before you get pushed aside.
How silly am I, I always thought that suspects were tried by those with law degrees, NOT journalism degrees and GED's.
And I thought that Ultrasounds should be recommended by doctors to their patients and not GOP law makers.
And in this case, the suspect isn't being tried at all. he told a cop that it was self defense and that was that. The person who he shot didn't offer any disagreement with that statement, so it must be true.
i think that's part of the problem. apparently the police, who frequently don't have law degrees, tried and found the shooter innocent. personally i believe they should have arrested him on the spot and let a jury decide whether he met the "stand your ground" qualification.
I have to laugh at the million man hoodie march. That realy goes a long way toward ending stereo-typing.
You're obviously ignorant. It was a demonstration proving that he was murdered because he was stereotyped due to his dress. Thats why blacks and whites both wore hoodies proving how you're dressed doesn't justify murder.
how do you figure? I'm a white architect, I wear a hoodie sometimes walking around my neighborhood.
Yeah....especially if you participate is steretyping too.....Get your head out of your ass CHICKEN GEORGE!
You obviously didn't get it, that's why they wore the hoodie to show how ignorant people profile people. What they was trying to say, since all of us are wearin hoodies, we are all guilty ????? Also in memory of Trayvon. Duh
What exactly is funny about the million hoddie march? I dont believe it was neccessarily to end stero typing, but rather keep the movement moving.
Temporarily remove himself? For what? So he doesn't take the fall of HIS Department not handling a MURDER the correct way! Seriously? April 10th! Get it together people! This child lost his life FEBRUARY 26 at the hands of a wanna be cop and he is walking the streets- while the parents mourn the loss of their son and America gets to sit back and swallow it because certain people are NOT strong enough to stand up and do something about this tragedy- Grow some balls Sanford Police Department.
I agree with you 100%
he needs to take the fall. The baseball team doesn't fire the players, they fire the manager.
"Police say they have not charged Zimmerman because they have no evidence to contradict his story that he shot in self-defense,"
you know why they don't have any evidence because they didn't look for any evidence! they came out, saw the child was black and the shooter was white and they took his word for it. They didn't take his gun to process it, nor did they process him. I thought that was standard procedure when someone is killed, but i guess not. IF you can get out of your car and go find someone walking and shoot them and claim you were defending yourself, what's going to stop everyone else from doing that? If he had remained in his vehicle and not went after Trayvon like the dispatcher advised him to do. That young man would still be alive and none of this would be going on. He racially profiled him, called him a racial slur (to the police dispatcher no less) and then went found him, confronted him, and killed him. This was not self defense and he justice must be served!
Ah tina....if you look at Zimmerman I don't he looks white as you say
Seriously????? Have you even bothered to keep up with the story or do you just want to jump on the "race" wagon?? The shooter was HISPANIC!!!! And they say that white people are racist!
Exactly. Leaving aside the evidence that so far shows Zimmerman went after this young man, even if the shooter claims self-defence, shouldn't the police take the shooter into custody, process him, the gun, the scene, the victim and from that determine if the shooter's story holds up? The police showed up, Zimmerman claims self-defence, and that's it?!!!!!! That is what is wrong with this scenario people that support Zimmerman. His story is believed, but the young man that is dead gets no story. As soon as the police discovered the boy was armed with those highly dangerous Skittles, they should have taken Zimmerman into custody.
The shooter was hispanic and white. Get your facts straight.
Ah once again the mob reigns.......the heck with following the law or procedure....do what the mob wants so we can be politically freaken correct
Spot on Ernie. This is such an embarrassement for a supposedly civilized society.
OR...so that the murderer of an innocent child can be brought to justice. i guess your perspective on the rationale behind this–whatever that perspective is–can say a lot about you.
I don't think blindly following a law that, in this case, has so blatantly been shown to be flawed, is the answer. And frankly, it scares me that anyone in this country advocates it.
I'm pretty sure that's what democracy is.
shooting unarmed people IS civilized? That's a coward where I come from.
David – I think it's pretty embarrassing to misspell "embarrassment".
hmm Ernie did the Sanford police do what they was supposed to do???? Normally if some one kills someone, they INVESTIGATE not take someone word!!!!!!
"My role as the leader of this agency has become a distraction from the investigation …." Lee said during a news conference.
Should have said "My lack of leadership of this agency...."
I love how people applauded at the end of the announcement.
Already people are getting hurt over this. People are using this as away to attack others. Very sad, when all evidence leads to self defense, but people just do not want to accept that, even if it is the truth. I stand behind Bill Lee one hundred percent, and I hope he sues the hell out of Sanford for this terrible injustice.
Already people are getting hurt over this???? What type of stupid are you? An innocent child was killed! There is already plenty of hurt. Tell you what, let someone shoot you or your child and not even get arrested... then we will worry about the police chief getting "hurt" by it.... unbelievable
@NYC. Why should more people pay a price, because you are not happy about the outcome? Right now, nothing in this case has changed, it still looks like self defense. Why should people have to step down, because people like yourself say so... Because you think every one should pay a for this. Your hatred has overwhelmed you, and now logic escapes you... Please cool off, before you hurt some one.
And what evidence is that exactly? The shooter (who sounds intoxicated on those 911 tapes) said so?
@David...you are a sad individual! I think you're upset because you think, "how dare those blacks stand up to us!" Well, David, STEP OFF because you've just been STEPPED ON & STEPPED OVER!!!!! That era is GONE!!!!!!!
Interesting to say the least.....................
A tragedy turned into a witch hunt. People should focus on the two people involved and not turn into mob mentality.
"My role as the leader of this agency has become a distraction from the investigation …." Lee said during a news conference.
WHAT INVESTIGATION?!?!!
Thank you!
The "Stand Your Ground" law is barbaric and we see its results in this wanton execution, a result of the insidious influennce of the NRA terorrist lobby. Cleanse the country of this nazi filth or you will have more of these killings and executions. Give the NRA a taste of their own medicine and wipe them out, starting withtheir fuhrers
you're totally clueless....absolutely uneducated in the way of defending one's self.
Of course they have nothing to contradict Zimmerman's story because the person who COULD contradict it was SHOT by a gun toting Neighborhood Watchman who was TOLD by the police to NOT follow the suspect. Zimmerman did not follow police orders and now a innocent 17 yo boy is dead.
Zimmerman (from what I heard on the news) has a history of making needles phone calls to police (paranoia is a sign of drug use)
The 911 dispatcher can only suggested not to follow, but being part of neighborhood watch allows him to observe. If they could have used that, even the Feds would have arrested Zimmerman by now. In public, which this was, you have the right to observe, just ask any celebrities about that....