SANFORD, Fla. – The Latest on George Zimmerman to auction gun used in Trayvon Martin case (all times local):
10:15 a.m.
The Smithsonian Institution says it has no interest in purchasing the gun used by George Zimmerman to fatally shoot Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman had said in an auction listing that the Smithsonian had expressed interest in buying the weapon, but the museum said in a statement it had not done so and had no plans to display it.
Zimmerman says he is auctioning the pistol, which was just returned by the U.S. Justice Department. It has been in federal custody since Zimmerman was acquitted in Martin's 2012 shooting death.
Zimmerman told the WOFL-TV in Orlando, Florida, he's selling the gun because "it's time to move past the firearm."
The auction listing on GunBroker.com lists the gun as a 9 mm Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol. The auction begins Thursday at 11 a.m. EDT and the bidding starts at $5,000.
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8:31 a.m.
The pistol former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman used in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin is going up for auction online.
In an interview with Orlando, Florida, station WOFL, Zimmerman says he had just gotten the pistol back from the U.S. Justice Department, which took it after Zimmerman was acquitted in Martin's 2012 shooting death.
Zimmerman told the station he's selling the gun because "it's time to move past the firearm."
The auction listing on GunBroker.com lists the gun as a 9 mm Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol. The auction begins Thursday at 11 a.m. EDT and the bidding starts at $5,000.
Zimmerman has said he was defending himself when he shot and killed Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old. The shooting sparked protests and a national debate about race relations.
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