The special prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin case has decided not to use a grand jury in what has become a nationally-followed case involving the killing of the 17-year-old, unarmed Florida student.
The grand jury had been prepared to convene on Tuesday, but the office of the special prosecutor, Angela Corey, said that the decision “should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case.”
That decision is likely to inflame passions even further in this case and it came as thousands of protesters descended on Sanford, Florida, the city where the teenager was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot Trayvon with a 9-millimeter handgun.
Zimmerman has not been arrested or charged with a crime, saying that he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense.
A group of students calling themselves the “Dream Defenders” protested at the Sanford police station, singing and carrying a banner saying "We are Trayvon Martin." The students, like protesters throughout the country in the last few weeks, are calling for the arrest of Zimmerman.
Corey said the investigation into the case will continue. The state attorney said that there is no need for a grand jury to file possible criminal charges against Zimmerman, who killed the teen Feb. 26. Previously, Corey has said that she has never used a grand jury to decide cases regarding self-defense.
"We do a thorough investigation. We make that decision ourselves," she said.
Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for Trayvon’s parents, has maintained that the family is looking for an arrest of Zimmerman.
 
Meanwhile, the Trayvon Martin case has produced a good deal of ugliness around the country. Over the weekend, students at Ohio State University reported upon graffiti at the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center that stated “Long Live Zimmerman.”

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