President Barack Obama called the shooting death of Trayvon Martin a "tragedy" and said "every aspect" of the case should be investigated.

Obama was asked about the death of 17-year-old Martin, following a White House Rose Garden ceremony. The president said he felt sorry for Martin's parents and said "every parent in America" should understand why it is "absolutely imperative" that the case is investigated.

"I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how something like this happened. That means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident.But, my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son he would look like Trayvon. I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and we will get to the bottom of exactly what happened," said Obama.

The Justice Department and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation and a grand jury is considering whether to charge gunman George Zimmerman.

• ANIMATION: Trayvon Martin shooting reenactment
• READ: Statement from Gov. Rick Scott
• TRAYVON MARTIN: See childhood photos

Zimmerman shot and killed Martin, who was unarmed and returning home from a 7-Eleven, on Feb. 26.

Zimmerman claimed he acted in self-defense, and the lack of his arrest has prompted outrage from civil rights activists, local leaders and people from around the country.

State Sen. Gary Siplin said he helped Governor Rick Scott choose a new state attorney in the case.

Siplin said he worked closely with Scott and others to make sure that the prosecutor on the case was far removed from any ties to the Sanford Police Department.

"I got so many calls about justice. They felt that the current prosecutor who had a relationship with the Sanford Police Department would not be fair. There may be an appearance of conflict of interest," Siplin said.

Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi worked together to appoint Angela B. Corey (of the 4th Judicial Circuit) as the newly assigned state attorney in the investigation into the death of Martin. Scott and Bondi reached out to State Attorney Norman Wolfinger, and after a conversation, Wolfinger decided to step down from the investigation and turn it over.  

Scott also announced the formation of a task force, which will convene following the conclusion of the investigation by Corey.

Scott and Bondi said they have full faith in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice and in Corey that a full and thorough investigation will be conducted.

"We're honored to serve the governor, and we're going to get right on it," said Corey. "We have the same thoughts we have on every criminal case. It requires a thorough investigation, extensive interviews of every witness, an extensive review of all physical evidence and then a determination as to how we apply Florida's law to the facts of any case. That's how we handle every case here, it's how we'll handle a case that the governor has assigned to us. "

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said he believes the tough prosecutor from Jacksonville will get it right.

"She's a no-nonsense prosecutor. The governor could not have asked any other prosecutor better than her to oversee this investigation and present this case to the grand jury," said Sheaffer.

Scott is taking steps to make sure a death like Martin's doesn't happen again. He issued a statement on Thursday night calling for "a task force on citizen safety and protection to investigate how to make sure a tragedy such as this does not occur in the future."  (Read Scott's full statement)

Scott said he has plans to appoint a task force to review Florida's "Stand your Ground" law.

The "Stand your Ground" has become a hot topic across the country in response to Martin's death.

The law allows anyone who fears for their safety to use deadly force.

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich gave his opinion about the law and the case.

"Apparently, the man, the shooter, was following the young man. Now that's not a 'Stand your own Ground,' that's a 'chase the other person into their ground,'" said Gingrich.

Gingrich said he thinks the law as it's meant to be interpreted does not apply to the Martin case.

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee announced that he has temporarily stepped down as chief, during a press conference outside of Sanford City Hall on Thursday.

"I must temporarily remove myself from the position of police chief for the city of Sanford," Lee said. "It's apparent my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process, therefore I must temporarily remove myself as police chief."

Sanford police reportedly know where Zimmerman is, and only his father has spoken publicly on his behalf. His father wrote a letter, claiming Zimmerman is Hispanic, with many black family members and friends, and the racist media portrayal is not true.