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Florida Memorial University to award Trayvon Martin degree

Jaylen Reese, 12, of Atlanta, marches to downtown during a protest of George Zimmerman’s not-guilty verdict in the 2012 shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin, Monday, July 15, 2013, in Atlanta. Florida Memorial University will award a posthumous bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science to Martin on May 13.
Jaylen Reese, 12, of Atlanta, marches to downtown during a protest of George Zimmerman’s not-guilty verdict in the 2012 shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin, Monday, July 15, 2013, in Atlanta. Florida Memorial University will award a posthumous bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science to Martin on May 13. AP

A Florida university will give Trayvon Martin a college degree.

Florida Memorial University will award a posthumous bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science to Martin, according to the university’s Facebook page. The 17-year-old was killed in 2012.

Martin’s parents will accept the degree on his behalf on May 13 during the university’s spring commencement. His mother, Sabrina Fulton, graduated from Florida Memorial University, CNN reported. FMU also houses the Trayvon Martin Foundation.

The university will award the degree in aeronautical science with a concentration in flight education “in honor of the steps he took during his young life toward becoming a pilot,” according to the Facebook post.

George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, said the fatal shooting was in self-defense after getting into a fight with Martin, and he was acquitted of second-degree murder in 2013.

Sara Nealeigh: 941-745-7081, @saranealeigh

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Florida Memorial University to award Trayvon Martin degree."

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