No federal charges against George Zimmerman

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — George Zimmerman will not face civil rights charges in the death of Trayvon Martin, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday, ending its probe three years after the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer fatally shot the unarmed black teenager.

The department said it had not found sufficient evidence that Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in state court, intentionally violated the civil rights of Martin, 17.

The decision comes as the Obama administration faces pressure from civil rights activists to press charges in other high-profile deaths that have raised allegations of racial bias.

The Justice Department is investigating a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, and the New York City police officer involved in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, another unarmed black man.

Grand juries declined to bring charges in both cases.

Despite national protests over the deaths, federal prosecutors face a high bar, required to prove the suspect knowingly violated the victim’s civil rights. Criminal murder or manslaughter charges are often left to states under U.S. law.

To convict a police officer, federal investigators have to show intentional use of excessive force.

In the case of Zimmerman, a private citizen, they would have had to prove that he committed a hate crime, meaning he was racially motivated to kill Martin.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the circumstances of the Zimmerman case did not meet the “high standard” for a federal hate crime prosecution.

But Holder added in a statement: “This young man