George Zimmerman is $120, 000 richer, more or less. The gun used in the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin has fetched a handsome amount just a week after news about its auction began circulating.
Around seven individuals took part in the bidding , and George Zimmerman himself had to validate the identity of the winning bidder as well as his or her capacity to pay. The identity of the highest bidder has remained anonymous, in line with the rules set out by the auction site.
In a post, he announced the conclusion of a successful bidding process.
“First and foremost, I would like to thank and give the glory to God for a successful auction that has raised funds for several worthy causes.”
He then thanked the United Gun Group and its members “for their support and words of encouragement.” George Zimmerman also made an update regarding the auction.
“The process of notifying the winning bidder will begin immediately,” he said. “The winning bidder will ultimately decide if they want their information to be maintained in confidentiality and they are assured that I will withhold their identity from all media and private parties.”
George Zimmerman sells gun he used in Trayvon Martin killing, but won’t say to whom https://t.co/AEaCoGgQWb pic.twitter.com/QP8qDQu9jR
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 19, 2016
While details about the auction are unclear, United Gun Group gave some information through their Twitter account. It clarified that two bids were made for the gun.
“We had two auctions running simultaneously, one for the pre-qualified bidders, one for the public,” it said.
The bids on the “fake” account fetched as high as $138,900. However, the account has been deleted since Wednesday.
George Zimmerman’s auction for the gun that killed Trayvon Martin has ended https://t.co/CvcN0pVTZt pic.twitter.com/Ht1tTKaXcx
— CNN (@CNN) May 18, 2016
An initial listing was pulled out after bids went into overdrive. One username even submitted a $65 million bid and had names like “Donald Trump” joining in the auction. To remedy the situation, an additional verification step was created.
The verification process was also made to stop the listing from being hijacked by individuals who “believe the sale glorifies Martin’s killing.”
The original listing’s starting price was only pegged at $5,000. It described the gun as “an American firearm icon.”
George Zimmerman Auctioning Off Gun That Killed Trayvon Martin: https://t.co/Vz0CEdICEy pic.twitter.com/NBrj2uYYhM
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 12, 2016
George Zimmerman re-listed the gun, but he increased the initial bid to $100, 000. The auction ran “from 9 am ET on Tuesday until noon on Wednesday.”
It was earlier revealed that part of the auction’s proceeds would be utilized to stop violence against law enforcement officers, fight presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton’s anti-gun rhetoric, and end the career of prosecutor Angela Corey, who led George Zimmerman’s case.
It is not only the sale of the gun that has courted controversy, as his recent interviews also created quite an impression.
In one conversation , he unabashedly claimed he feels no regret about shooting and eventually killing Trayvon Martin. He even blamed the boy’s parents for what had happened to him.
“They didn’t raise their son right. He attacked a complete stranger and attempted to kill him,” he said.
George Zimmerman lashes out at Trayvon Martin’s parents in interview https://t.co/ljGixOFV66
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) May 18, 2016
“Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin did everything they could to capitalize on her son’s death,” he added. “She was never a mother figure to him. Tracy Martin couldn’t have cared less about their son. He treated him like a dog without a leash.”
George Zimmerman was put on trial following the death of Trayvon Martin, but he was eventually acquitted of second-degree murder on July 13, 2013.
His acquittal was met with protests and debates, particularly on race relations.
[Photo by Joe Burbank-Pool/Getty Images]