Stand Your Ground Task Force Meets In Pensacola
PENSACOLA (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida task force created to review the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law is scheduled for its final meeting Tuesday in Pensacola.
The state created the task force following the deadly shooting of unarmed Miami teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in February when the two got into an altercation inside a gated community in Sanford, Fla.
The task force has met and gathered public input throughout the state and will make recommendations to Gov. Rick Scott.
Zimmerman has claimed self-defense under the state's "Stand Your Ground" law and is pleading not guilty to a second-degree murder charge. The law states a person does not have to retreat in the face of a threat and can use deadly force if fearing danger of death or serious harm.
Martin's parents and supporters claim that the unarmed teenager was targeted because he was black and that Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. But Zimmerman's family members have denied that he was racist in anyway.
The shooting caused public outrage and raised questions about the law.
The task force will present its recommendations to the Florida Legislature next year.
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