Shooting targets featuring Trayvon Martin’s hooded sweatshirt were sold on a gun auction site “to make money off the controversy,” the unidentified seller told Orlando TV station WKMG.

The paper targets do not show Trayvon’s face but include a box of Skittles and a beverage, which the 17-year-old bought before being shot and killed in February during a confrontation with George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla.

Two unidentified Florida gun dealers bought some targets, the seller said in an email exchange. “I sold out in 2 days,” the seller wrote, without revealing the quantity.

The exchange occurred before a WKMG reporter identified himself as a journalist.

The seller’s advertisement stated, “[We] support Zimmerman and believe he is innocent and that he shot a thug.” The ad has been taken down.

The station does not identify the “popular firearms auction website” and says it has not been able to determine the identify of the seller.

Before the reporter identified himself, the seller said targets were still available, afterward saying they would no longer be sold, the station writes. The targets cost $8, plus $7.50 shipping.

An attorney for Trayvon’s family called the target “disgusting.”

“It’s a sad certain segment of our society that would think you could make a profit off the killing of a teenage boy,” said Natale Jackson.

Zimmerman’s attorney denounced the targets as “hate-mongering.”

“This is the highest level of disgust and the lowest level of civility,” said Mark O’Mara. “It’s this type of hatred — that’s what this is, it’s hate-mongering — that’s going to make it more difficult to try this case.”

Zimmerman is being tried for second-degree murder. He is free on bond.
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Trayvon Martin gun range targets were sold online “to make money off the controversy,” report says

(CBS/WKMG) ORLANDO, Fla. – An unidentified supporter of George Zimmerman sold gun range targets online featuring a figure meant to resemble slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin carrying Skittles, CBS affiliate WKMG reports.

The station reports that in an advertisement for the targets, which has since been removed, the sellers say they “support Zimmerman and believe he is innocent and that he shot a thug.”

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of 17-year-old Martin.

“This is the highest level of disgust and the lowest level of civility,” said Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara, according to WKMG. O’Mara said he is worried about how Martin’s parents will react to the image of their son on a target intended to be used for shooting practice.

O’Mara also reportedly called the sale of the targets “hate-mongering,” saying it would only make it more difficult to try the case.

The targets reportedly do not show Martin’s face, but feature a hoodie with crosshairs aimed at the chest. A bag of Skittles is tucked in the pocket and a hand is holding a can resembling iced tea. Martin reportedly was carrying both items the night of his death.

According to WKMG, the seller of the targets told them in an email exchange that the “main motivation was to make money off the controversy.”

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Categories: Discrimination, Racism, U.S. News