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March 23, 2012

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Chief, prosecutor off Fla. case

By Kyle Hightower
Chicago Sun-Times

SANFORD, Fla. — The police chief and prosecutor who have been bitterly criticized for not arresting a neighborhood watch volunteer in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager both left the case Thursday, with the chief saying that he is temporarily leaving his job to let passions cool.

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee's decision came less than a day after city commissioners gave him a "no confidence" vote and after a couple of weeks of protests and uproar on social media websites. Lee has said evidence in the case supported George Zimmerman's claim that the Feb. 26 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was self-defense.

"I do this in the hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to a city which has been in turmoil for several weeks," Lee said.

About three hours later, Gov. Rick Scott announced that the local state's attorney, Norman Wolfinger, had recused himself from the case. In a letter to Scott, Wolfinger said that while he thought he could fairly oversee any prosecution that develops in the case, his recusal was aimed at "toning down the rhetoric and preserving the integrity of the investigation." Scott appointed Angela B. Corey, the state's attorney for the Jacksonville area, to take over the case.

Scott also appointed a task force led by Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, an African American, to conduct hearings on the case and to make recommendations for any changes to state law or procedures.

Trayvon was returning from a trip to a convenience store when Zimmerman started following him, telling police dispatchers he looked suspicious. At some point, they got into a fight and Zimmerman pulled out his gun.

Zimmerman told police Trayvon attacked him after he had given up on chasing the teenager and was returning to his sport-utility vehicle.

The shooting ignited resentment toward the police department for not making an arrest.

Civil rights groups have held rallies, saying the shooting was unjustified.