George Zimmerman, the Florida block watch captain who was acquitted on murder charges in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, is suing two Democratic presidential candidates for defamation, NBC News is reporting.
Zimmerman's suit claims he was defamed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg two weeks ago on the anniversary of Martin's death. The suit is seeking $265 million in damages.
NBC reported the suit claims that Warren and Buttigieg "defamed Zimmerman for political gain in misguided and malicious attempts to bolster their standings amongst African-American voters, all at Zimmerman’s expense.”
Warren retweeted photos of Martin, and added, "My heart goes out to @SybrinaFulton and Trayvon's family and friends. He should still be with us today. We need to end gun violence and racism. And we need to build a world where all of our children—especially young Black boys—can grow up safe and free."
Buttigieg's Feb. 5 tweet said "Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today. How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear? #BlackLivesMatter."
Zimmerman was acquitted by a jury more than a year after Martin's death. Zimmerman has not disputed that he killed Martin, but he said that he shot the unarmed 17-year-old out of self defense. Zimmerman had called the police to report a suspicious person, and Zimmerman defied the police dispatcher by following Martin, leading to the confrontation.
This is not the first suit Zimmerman has filed recently. Last year, Zimmerman sued Martin's parents for $100 million, NBC News reported .
