President Obama, at a press conference last year during which he said, “If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon.” (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

In the wake of a jury’s acquittal of Sanford, Fla. neighborhood watch patrolman George Zimmerman in the February 2012 death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, President Obama issued a statement calling on Americans to remain calm in the face of a controversial verdict.

Zimmerman, 29, was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter by a six-member jury yesterday, nearly 15 months after he told police he shot and killed Martin, 17, claiming self-defense under a Florida statute known as the “stand your ground” law. The death of Martin, who was black, set off pitched national debates about racial profiling and civil rights.

“The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy,” Obama said. “Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son.”

Obama first weighed in on the case a few weeks after Martin’s death. “If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon,” he said in March 2012.

In his statement today, Obama also said the Zimmerman verdict is an opportunity to re-examine attempts to curb gun violence. “We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis,” he said. “We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this.”

Additionally, the Justice Department announced today that while Zimmerman has been cleared of state charges in Florida, it is still investigating him to determine whether he might have violated federal civil rights laws and is also reviewing the evidence presented during the three-week trial that ended yesterday.
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‘”Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the department’s policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial,” Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said in a statement.

Civil rights organizations such as the NAACP are calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to open a federal case against Zimmerman. Yesterday’s verdict also prompted demonstrations in cities around the United States, including D.C., where about 200 people marched in the early hours of Sunday.

Martin’s death is being investigated by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of Florida, and the FBI.

Obama’s full statement:

The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin.