Trayvon Martin's dad: "I am broken hearted"
Updated July 14, 2013, 12:26 a.m. ET
Following the not guilty verdict of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the death of his son Trayvon, Tracy Martin offered words of thanks on Twitter.
In a series of tweets sent Saturday evening, Tracy Martin wrote the following:
"God blessed Me & Sybrina with Tray and even in his death I know my baby proud of the FIGHT we along with all of you put up for him GOD BLESS."
"Thanks to everyone who are with us and who will be with us si we together can make sure that this doesn't happen again."
"Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BABY TRAY"
Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, also said on Twitter that she appreciated the prayers from supporters.
"Lord during my darkest hour I lean on you. You are all that I have," she wrote.
The teen's brother, Jahvaris Fulton, said simply: "Et tu America?" — a reference to the Latin phrase "Et tu, Brute?" known as an expression of betrayal.
A jury of six women in the Zimmerman trial found the former neighborhood watch volunteer not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon.
He was also found not guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter, which the jury also weighed.
Speaking at a press conference after the verdict, Martin family attorneys said they were "very saddened."
Trayvon Martin's parents were not in the courtroom as the verdict was read. A family attorney, Benjamin Crump, would say only the family was in a safe location.
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Attorneys said the family thanks supporters "around the nation and around the world." Martin and Fulton planned to attend church Sunday.
"In order for Trayvon to rest in peace, we must all be peaceful," Crump said.
Mark O'Mara, one of Zimmerman's attorneys, said at a news conference after the verdict: "We're ecstatic with the results. George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self-defense."
Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., says his family is relieved that the jury found George Zimmerman not guilty. He tweeted: "Today ... I'm proud to be an American."
Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida NAACP State Conference, offered a reaction: "We lost a young man due to senseless violence, but justice did not prevail. Last year we pushed for the arrest of George Zimmerman and a thorough investigation and trial. Today, we are still called to act. No one should be allowed to use this law to commit a senseless crime again."
"The acquittal of George Zimmerman is a slap in the face to the American people but it is only the first round in the pursuit of justice," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "We intend to ask the Department of Justice to move forward as they did in the Rodney King case and we will closely monitor the civil case against Mr. Zimmerman. I will convene an emergency call with preachers tonight to discuss next steps and I intend to head to Florida in the next few days."
The verdict came a year and a half after civil rights protesters angrily demanded Zimmerman be prosecuted. That anger appeared to return Saturday night outside the courthouse, at least for some who had been following the case.
Rosie Barron, 50, and Andrew Perkins, 55, both black residents of Sanford, stood in the parking lot of the courthouse and wept.
"I at least thought he was going to get something, something," Barron said.
Added her brother: "How the hell did they find him not guilty?"
Perkins was so upset he was shaking. "He killed somebody and got away with murder," Perkins shouted, looking in the direction of the courthouse. "He ain't getting no probation or nothing."
Several Zimmerman supporters also were outside the courthouse, including a brother and sister quietly rejoicing that Zimmerman was acquitted. Both thought the jury made the right decision in finding Zimmerman not guilty — they felt that Zimmerman killed Martin in self-defense.
Cindy Lenzen, 50, of Casslebury, and her brother, 52-year-old Chris Bay, stood watching the protesters chant slogans such as, "the whole system's guilty."
Lenzen and Bay — who are white — called the entire case "a tragedy," especially for Zimmerman.
"It's a tragedy that he's going to suffer for the rest of his life," Bay said. "No one wins either way. This is going to be a recurring nightmare in his mind every night."
Meanwhile, authorities in Martin's hometown of Miami said the streets were quiet, with no indication of problems. The neighborhood where Martin's father lives in Miami Gardens was equally quiet.