GEORGE ZIMMERMAN APPEARS to have sold the gun he used to killed Trayvon Martin four years ago.
The Florida neighborhood watchman killed the unarmed black teenager in February 2012.
Zimmerman said he is verifying offers from his third attempt at auctioning the gun used in the slaying, according to the organisation that hosted the auction - United Gun Group.
A number of media outlets reported that the auction closed yesterday with a high bid of $138,900 (about €123,000) by someone using the name John Smith. However, the United Gun Group said this person was bidding on a fake page:
Nationwide protests erupted in the US over the shooting of 17-year-old Martin in 2012, in what Zimmerman said was self-defence, but which the teen’s family and friends claimed was a murder driven by racism.
Zimmerman’s trial and subsequent acquittal exposed deep racial issues in US society.
United Gun Group said it ran simultaneous auctions for the Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol — one for the pre-qualified bidders and one for the general public.
Zimmerman had to pull his first auction for the gun from the site last week after pranksters drove the bidding up to more than $65 million (€58 million), using pseudonyms like Racist McShootface.
Zimmerman had previously listed the gun on another auction site, but it swiftly removed the listing saying it did not want the negative publicity.
United Gun Group has defended its role in hosting Zimmerman’s auction, saying it operates in accordance with US law.
“Having this stance ensures that every member is treated 100% equal regardless of personal opinions,” the website said in its statement.
- © AFP 2016, with additional reporting by Órla Ryan
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