Trayvon Martin's parents still shocked by verdict

MIAMI (AP):

Trayvon Martin's parents made appearances on network morning shows Thursday, saying they are still shocked that jurors acquitted George Zimmerman in the 2012 shooting death of their 17-year-old son.

On NBC's Today show, Sybrina Fulton questioned whether jurors looked at the shooting from her son's point of view.

"He was a teenager. He was scared. He did run," Fulton said, who added that she believes the justice system failed her son.

"We didn't get the verdict we wanted because we wanted him to be (held) accountable."

Martin's father, Tracy Martin, expressed disbelief in the verdict handed down Saturday by a six-woman jury following a three-week trial in central Florida.

HOPE FOR JUSTICE

"We felt in our hearts that we were going to get a conviction," Martin said. "We felt that the killer of our unarmed child was going to be convicted of the crime he committed."

On ABC's Good Morning America, Martin said he felt the jury did not get a chance to get to know the teen. "They didn't know him as a human being," he said.

Martin's parents said they still believe Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, racially profiled their son.

"Obviously, any time you have a person that makes an assumption that a person is up to no good, that's some kind of profiling," Martin said. "Was he racially profiled? I think if Trayvon had been white, this never would have happened."

Martin's parents said they support the federal government looking into the case. The Justice Department announced Sunday it plans to review the case to determine whether federal prosecutors should file criminal civil rights charges now that Zimmerman has been acquitted.