Sanford, Florida (CNN) — President Barack Obama waded into the growing national controversy of the killing of an unarmed black teenager in Florida, saying the nation should do some “soul-searching to figure out how something like this happens.”
“I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and that everybody pulls together, federal state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened.”
Obama said Trayvon Martin’s death particularly resonated with him as an African-American parent.
“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” Obama said in brief remarks outside the White House.
As Obama was speaking, demonstrators were preparing to march to the state capitol in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday to protest the death of the17-year-old, who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer while walking home from a convenience store.
The death has sparked outrage nationwide.
More than 1.3 million people have signed an online petition urging authorities to file criminal charges against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch leader who has told police he shot Martin in self defense.
On Monday, people angered over the shooting in Sanford, Florida, a city of 50,000 just north of Orlando where the shooting took place, plan to march to the site of a city commissioners’ meeting, said Valerie Houston, pastor of Allen Baptist Church.
Also on Monday, students and civil-rights leaders in Atlanta, Georgia plan to march to the state Capitol to protest a Georgia state law similar to Florida’s “stand your ground” statute, which doesn’t require people to retreat from potential danger in public places and instead allows them to meet “force with force” if they believe there is danger of serious harm to themselves or someone else.
The Georgia march organizers are asking participants to wear hoodies and bring Skittles because Martin was wearing a hoodie and had just bought a bag of the candy when he was killed.
Similar rallies are planned in the coming days in Greenville, South Carolina and Norfolk, Virginia, among other places.
Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee announced Thursday he is stepping down “temporarily” as head of the department, which has been criticized for its handling of the fatal shooting
“I am aware that my role as a leader of this agency has become a distraction from the investigation,” he told reporters. “It is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process. Therefore, I have come to the decision that I must temporarily remove myself from the position.”
He added, “I do this in the hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to the city, which has been in turmoil for several weeks.”
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