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US Attorney General: Trayvon Martin killing 'not hate crime'

Trayvon Martin who was shot and killed despite being unarmed Credit: Reuters

The death of Florida Trayvon Martin did not meet the standard for a "hate crime", the US Attorney General has said.

Reuters report that the Department of Justice will not be pressing criminal charges against George Zimmerman, the man who shot the 17-year-old Florida teen in 2013.

In a statement, the Martin family said that they thanked the Department of Justice for their "extensive and thorough" investigation - although they were disappointed with its findings.

They also said:

We remain poised to do everything in our power to help eradicate senseless violence in our communities, because we don't want any other parent to experience the unexplainable loss we have endured.

– Martin family statement.