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Pastors from across nation rally in Sanford to demand justice for slain teen

SANFORD, Fla. — A group of pastors from across the nation will rally in Sanford to demand justice for 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed as he was walking home from a convenience store with a bag of candy.

The pastors said they are outraged because the shooting suspect, George Zimmerman, has not been arrested.

The pastors said they are hoping to put pressure on the state attorney to file charges against Zimmerman.

First it was angry Sanford residents, and then the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and now, the pastors from across the country have come to Sanford to try to get answers.

Martin was from Miami and was visiting family in a gated community last month.

He was walking back from the convenience store when he crossed paths with Zimmerman, who was the neighborhood watch leader.

Zimmerman was told to wait for the police by a 911 dispatcher, but instead he shot the boy.

Zimmerman told police the shooting was in self-defense.

"They simply want a fair and impartial investigation and the facts as to what happened," said Marie Louise of the NAACP.

Police insisted that they did not have enough evidence to arrest Zimmerman, and will not release the 911 calls from that night.

The Sanford Police Department turned the completed investigation to the State Attorney's Office on Tuesday.

The State Attorney's Office said it will take several weeks to review the evidence and then decide whether Zimmerman should be charged.

WFTV is tracking Zimmerman down to get his side of the story.

Included in the rally will be prominent Baltimore evangelist Reverend Jamal Bryant.

Reverend Al Sharpton is also planning to come to Sanford to demand the release of the 911 recordings from the night of the shooting.

Sharpton released a statement overnight saying, "The fact that a young unarmed man could be killed by a neighborhood watch captain while his family was blatantly misled by local police as to the background of the shooter is disturbing."

In his statement, Sharpton also claimed Zimmerman used racial language during his 911 call.

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