Auction Of Gun Used To Kill Trayvon Martin Troubling To Boston Mayor, Police
BOSTON (CBS) -- Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and police are "deeply troubled" about the auction of a gun that was used to kill 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida in February 2012.
George Zimmerman, 32, who was found not guilty in July 2013 in the shooting death of Martin, has tried to auction off the gun. Martin was fatally shot by Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012.
Zimmerman recently received the gun from the Department of Justice, and he said he planned to sell it to raise money to "fight Black Lives Matter violence against law enforcement" and "Hillary Clinton's anti-firearm rhetoric," CBS News reports.
It appears Zimmerman tried to sell the Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm on the GunBroker website on Thursday, but the posting was later removed, according to CBS News.
The website released a statement about the auction item being taken down.
"Our site rules state that we reserve the right to reject listings at our sole discretion, and have done so with the Zimmerman listing," reads the statement. "We want no part in the listing on our web site or in any of the publicity it is receiving."
An auction listing for the gun posted to the UnitedGunGroup website was also removed, CBS News reports.
In a statement released by company officials, they said, "We do not feel like it is in the best interest of the organization to continue to host this sale on our platform."
It's unclear whether the auction will now happen, according to CBS Orlando, Florida affiliate WKMG-TV.
On Friday, Walsh and Police Commissioner William Evans released a statement about the auction.
"We are deeply troubled that someone would look to profit from a tragedy that caused so much pain and turmoil across our country," reads the statement.
"In Boston, our focus is taking guns off the streets and out of the wrong hands. We believe this gun should be destroyed, so no more lives can be lost."
