Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, the former attorneys for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, tell TODAY's Ann Curry why they withdrew as counsel for him.
By Miranda Leitsinger, msnbc.com
Attorney General Eric Holder told a civil rights group on Wednesday they were ?rightly concerned? about the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, and if the Justice Department found evidence of a potential federal civil rights crime, officials would take ?appropriate action.?
Holder made his remarks to a gathering of the National Action Network, founded by Rev. Al Sharpton, host of?MSNBC PoliticsNation.
?I know that many of you are greatly -- and rightly -- concerned about the recent shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a young man whose future has been lost to the ages,? he told the group?s annual convention.
Though the ongoing Justice Department investigation prevented Holder from speaking in detail about the case, he said?several officials had traveled to Sanford, Fla. ? where Martin was shot by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman ? to meet with the boy?s family, the community and local authorities.
?If we find evidence of a potential federal criminal civil rights crime, we will take appropriate action,? Holder said.
His comments come ahead of a 6 p.m. ET press conference by the special prosecutor appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to re-examine the case, Angela Corey. A law enforcement official told NBC News that she will announce criminal charges against Zimmerman.
The nature of the charges wasn't immediately known, the official told NBC News Justice Department correspondent Pete Williams, speaking on condition of anonymity. But because Corey had previously announced that she wouldn't take the case to a grand jury, first-degree murder is not an option.
Earlier Tuesday,?the attorneys for George Zimmerman,?the Florida community watch volunteer who shot Martin, said they had lost touch with their client and were withdrawing from the case.
Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig said at a news conference outside the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford that Zimmerman?had contacted?the special prosecutor against their advice.
They said they?have not talked to Zimmerman, whose location is not known,?in at least two days but in the past had spoken with him over the phone. ?We can?t represent him unless he comes forward and asks us,? Uhrig said.
?He is not in the area. I can?t disclose where he is,? Sonner told TODAY on Wednesday. ?He?s where he won?t be found. He is in contact with FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement). If it becomes necessary for him to turn himself in, I believe he?ll do it. I don?t believe he is going to flee the country.?
The attorneys said they still believe in Zimmerman's story that he was attacked by Martin and fired in self-defense. They also expressed concern about Zimmerman's "emotional and physical safety" and said he may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
?Frankly, his actions here recently don?t speak of someone who?s completely doing very well,? Uhrig told TODAY, noting they weren?t casting aspersions on their client but letting the public know ?he?s not a bad guy, he may just be an emotionally beat down guy by this process.?
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