Photos: 2012 top news stories from near and far
72500351
Credit: Getty Images
STAND YOUR GROUND: The Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman Case
On Feb. 26, 2012, neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin as the teen was walking back from a convenience store in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman claimed he shot the unarmed teen in self-defense and was released by the police shortly after the incident.
The shooting and police decision not to arrest Zimmerman sparked outrage, and set off a nationwide debate over race and justice. On April 11, Zimmerman turned himself in after being charged with second-degree murder. The 29-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released from Seminole County Jail on $1 million bond in July. The case is ongoing.
In San Antonio Raul Rodriguez claimed Texas' version of a stand-your-ground law allowed him to fatally shoot a neighbor after an argument about a noisy party In June 2012, he was sentenced to 40 years for the murder.
On Dec. 20, 2012 a Tampa Bay man arrested for shooting and wounding another man during an argument about slow service at a pizza restaurant claimed the action was justified under Florida's "stand your ground" law.
In December 2012, George Zimmerman sued NBC on Thursday, claiming he was defamed when the network edited his emergency services call to police after the shooting of Trayvon Martin to make it sound like he was racist.
SANFORD, FL - DECEMBER 3: In this handout image released online December 3, 2012 by Zimmerman's defense team, as part of the state's ninth supplemental discovery, George Zimmerman is photographed following a shooting incident involving Trayvon Martin, February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman is currently on trial for second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Martin. (Photo by Sanford Police Department via Getty Images)
