Reports: Florida to file charges in Trayvon Martin shooting case

The special prosecutor appointed to handle the investigation surrounding the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin is set to charge neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, according to multiple media reports.

State attorney Angela Corey is expected to announce the charges Zimmerman will face around 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

CNN reported that Zimmerman is in custody awaiting a bond hearing.

Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, was shot and killed by Zimmerman in February. Zimmerman claimed to have acted in self-defense against the unarmed Martin, and local officials cited the state's "stand your ground" law in opting against making initial charges, sparking a national controversy over gun rights and creating racial tensions.

The decision to file charges came less than 24 hours after Zimmerman's attorneys said they would no longer be representing him, telling reporters they hadn't heard from their client in several days.

"As of the last couple days, he has not returned phone calls, text messages or emails," former attorney Craig Sonner said. "He's gone on his own. I'm not sure what he's doing or who he's talking to. I cannot go forward speaking to the public about George Zimmerman and this case as representing him because I've lost contact with him."

Zimmerman's former counsel said he had contacted Corey directly against their advice and was likely staying outside the state of Florida. The attorneys also said they were concerned for his physical and emotional safety.

Earlier Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department faces a “very high barrier” in bringing federal hate crime charges in a case like the Martin shooting.

“Many of you are greatly — and rightly — concerned about the recent shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a young man whose future has been lost to the ages,” Holder said to the civil-rights group National Action Network. “If we find evidence of a potential federal criminal civil rights crime, we will take appropriate action, and at every step, the facts and law will guide us forward.”

Holder added that the case affected him personally, largely echoing comments made by President Obama, who said last month that if he "had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."

“As a parent, I reacted to it,” he said. “This is a pain that no parent should have to endure. The notion of having to bury a child is something that is, I think in some ways for a parent, the ultimate pain. The primary responsibility we have in the Justice Department is to support the state in its ongoing investigation, to do our own thorough and parallel investigation which we are in the process of doing and try to resolve this matter in as fair and complete a way and as quickly as we can.”

— This story was posted at 2:33 p.m. and updated at 5:49 p.m.

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