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George Zimmerman 'not guilty' verdict: Legal fight could continue

George Zimmerman has been found not guilty in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. But the US Justice Department may pursue the case under civil rights law, and Trayvon's parents are considering whether or not to file wrongful death civil charges against Zimmerman.

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(The racial issue is complicated. Trayvon Martin was black; George Zimmerman’s father is white and his mother is Hispanic.)

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The NAACP and other civil rights groups are urging the Justice Department to pursue the case.

"We call immediately for the Justice Department to conduct an investigation into the civil rights violations committed against Trayvon Martin,” Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP, said in a statement . “This case has re-energized the movement to end racial profiling in the United States."

On CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said, “When you look at [Zimmerman’s] comments, when you look at his comments about young black men in that neighborhood, about how they felt specially targeted by him, there is reason to be concerned that race was a factor in why he targeted young Trayvon.”

Meanwhile, Trayvon Martin’s parents are considering whether or not to file wrongful death civil charges against Zimmerman.

"They are going to certainly look at that as an option,” their attorney, Benjamin Crump, said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “They deeply want a sense of justice. They deeply don't want their son's death to be in vain.”

But for now, Mr. Crump said, “They're in church this morning, praying and turning to God, a higher authority, to make sense of it all.”

Martin’s parents – Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton – weren’t in the courtroom when the verdict was read, but reacted on Twitter Saturday night.

Trayvon’s father, expressed his disappointment with the verdict, tweeting, ”Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BABY TRAY.”

Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, tweeted ”Lord during my darkest hour I lean on you. You are all that I have. At the end of the day, GOD is still in control. Thank you all for your prayers and support. I will love you forever Trayvon!!! In the name of Jesus!!!”

Life will never be the same for them, nor will it be for the man who killed their son despite a verdict that set him free.

"There are factions, there are groups, there are people that would want to take the law into their own hands as they perceive it, or be vigilantes in some sense," Robert Zimmerman Jr., George Zimmerman’s brother, said on CNN after the verdict had been announced Saturday night. "They think that justice was not served, they won't respect the verdict no matter how it was reached and they will always present a threat to George and his family."

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