Trayvon's Mom: "We Wanted An Arrest & We Got It"
WASHINGTON D.C. (CBSMiami) -- The parents of Trayvon Martin did not express joy on Wednesday after charges against George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed their unarmed teenage son, were announced more than a month after the shooting.
"We simply wanted an arrest," said Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, at a press conference in Washington, D.C. "We wanted an arrest and we got it."
Fulton and Tracy Martin, Trayvon's father, spoke briefly alongside Rev. Al Sharpton and their attorney, Ben Crump, after Florida State Attorney Angela Corey announced second degree murder charges against Zimmerman.
"This is just the beginning. We got a long way to go, and we have faith," Tracy Martin said.
WEB VIDEO EXTRA: Trayvon Martin's Family Reacts To Zimmerman Charges
Sharpton cautioned listeners to not celebrate at the charges against Zimmerman.
"We do not want anybody high-fiving tonight. There's no winners here. This is not about gloating. This is about serving justice. We are still mourning with this family," Sharpton said.
Earlier, Trayvon's parents said that charges against George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of their son would start the healing process, but they won't stop fighting until he's convicted.
Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told The Associated Press that right now she and Martin's father "can't get past our son being murdered and no one being arrested." The family, along with their attorney, have put out calls for calm in the case.
"We don't need anybody taking these matters into their own hands," Crump said.
"I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, justice will be served," said Fulton.
Sharpton said while everyone is angry, no one can be more angry than Martin's parents, "and if they can operate with dignity, we can operate with dignity."
Zimmerman's shooting of the black teenager brought demands from black leaders for his arrest and set off a furious nationwide debate over race and self-defense that reached all the way to the White House.
