In FLA, Black Lawyer Defending White Shooter Catches Some Flack

The recent trial of a white man who shot and killed an unarmed black man had echoes of the Trayvon Martin case, which spawned the Black Lives Matter movement. But there were some differences too. This one involved an altercation in a parking lot, and in one video the victim appeared to be the first to get physical. Another difference is the shooter in this case was convicted. He’ll be sentenced later this month. And one other difference has generated some fallout: A member of the white shooter’s defense team – a woman who had formerly worked five years as a public defender – was black. She has been subject to some harsh criticism. (“It was shameful to see,” said an attorney for the shooting victim’s parents). She has responded with, as she wrote, “disbelief” that fellow members of the Florida Bar would attack her for her work and says her intent was “to make sure the government proves their case, plain and simple.”