Holder: Civil rights probe into Trayvon Martin shooting still active

Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that the federal civil rights investigation into the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin remains active, noting “recent developments” in the case. 

The Justice Department is weighing charges against George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watchman who shot and killed Martin in an incident that captured national interest. 

{mosads}Zimmerman was acquitted of murder charges more than a year ago, but the Justice Department is still running down leads as part of its civil rights probe, Holder said. 

“That matter is ongoing,” said Holder, who was asked about the case during a news conference announcing the opening of another civil rights investigation centered on the Ferguson, Mo., police force in the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. 

Justice Department officials said civil rights investigations generally last months, though the Martin shooting probe has stretched on much longer. 

“There are active steps that we are still in the process of taking,” Holder said. “There are witnesses who we want to speak to as a result of some recent developments.” 

He did not elaborate on those new developments.