George Zimmerman
When George Zimmerman fatally shot unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin in February, he wasn't immediately arrested and charged because of the state's controversial 2005 "Stand Your Ground" law. Due to the measure, killers and vicious attackers in some cases are walking free, a report shows. Twitter

Officials have released hundreds of documents, audio files and photographs, relating to the murder of Trayvon Martin.

George Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed Martin on the 26th February this year. The photographs reveal the injuries that 28 year-old Zimmerman, a neighbourhood watch volunteer, suffered when confronting the teenager in Orlando, Florida. Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, claims that it was Martin who pursued and attacked his client. The images released, showing cuts across Zimmerman's head and a broken nose, support his claims that he was being attacked and that he acted out of fear for his life.

Despite such injuries, reports show that Zimmerman repeatedly declined to be taken to hospital, casting doubts that the shooting was in self-defence. Lead Investigator, Chris Serino, has also contradicted his claims of being pursued in an affidavit, where he states: "Martin was in fact running generally in the direction of where he was staying as a guest in the neighbourhood."

The medical reports reveal that 17 year-old Martin had traces of marijuana in his system when he was murdered. THC, a psychoactive ingredient of the drug, was found in blood and urine samples during an autopsy the day after the shooting.

Photographs have also been released of the handgun that Zimmerman used to shoot Martin through the heart at close range. Besides the gunshot wounds, there were no other injuries found on the body except for a small abrasion on the fourth finger of his left hand.

Trayvon Martin's death sent shockwaves across America, as his family claimed that the attack was racially motivated. Zimmerman was initially not arrested as the police stated they could find no contradictions to his claim of self-defence. Following national outrage at the decision, special prosecutor Angela Corey was assigned to the case and charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder.

Last month Zimmerman was released from prison after paying a $150,000 dollar bail. The date of his trial is yet to be determined. If convicted, he faces the prospect of a minimum 25-year prison sentence.

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