KEY POINTS

  • Trayvon Martin, a Black teen, was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch coordinator
  • George Zimmerman, the man who shot Martin, is of mixed race
  • Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 of manslaughter charges citing lack of evidence

A Florida road will be named after Trayvon Martin, a Black teen who was fatally shot in 2012 by a neighborhood watch volunteer of mixed race, triggering months of nationwide protests over racial injustice.

Martin, a 17-year-old high school student was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a white Hispanic man. The Black teenager was temporarily staying at the residence of his father’s fiancé in Sanford, Fla., when he was shot by Zimmerman, who was assigned as a neighborhood watch coordinator. Martin was unarmed and was on his way back home from a local store when a scuffle ensued between them during which Zimmerman fired the fatal shot.

Zimmerman told arriving officers that he acted in self-defense. A jury acquitted Zimmerman of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges during his trial in 2013 citing lack of evidence. Zimmerman’s acquittal set off widespread protests outside federal court buildings and police headquarters calling for a civil rights case against him, but the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded in 2015 that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him on hate crime.

The origin of the Black Lives Matter protest traces back to the aftermath of Martin’s shooting. After the acquittal of Zimmerman, social media users started to use the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to condemn the death of the unarmed African-American student at the hands of Zimmerman.

Martin’s name will be added to a section of an avenue that leads to a high school he attended in Miami, where he was originally from, Miami Herald reported. The portion of the road, owned by the Miami-Dade County, will be called “Trayvon Martin Avenue” as part of a motion unanimously approved by the community members, according to the publication. Signs marking the avenue are expected to be ready within a few weeks.

The resolution is sponsored by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara Jordan. While speaking to the publication, Jordan said Martin had great mechanical skills and that he wanted to go to college.

Supporters Of Trayvon Martin
Supporters gather at a memorial to Trayvon Martin outside The Retreat at Twin Lakes community where Martin was shot and killed by George Michael Zimmerman, March 25, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. Lawrence Graham says Martin's death was a wake up call for many black, middle class families. Mario Tama/Getty Images
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