Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, who has been criticized for his handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting case, has stepped down temporarily, according to The Miami Herald.
“I am aware my role as leader of this department has become a distraction from the investigation,” Lee said, according to the report, adding that “temporarily removing” himself from the role would restore a “semblance of calm to the city which has been in turmoil for several weeks.”
Yesterday, Lee received a 3-2 no-confidence vote from the Sanford City Council, and outrage over the case has sparked nationwide calls for his resignation.
A protest rally in New York last night--Million Hoody March--called for justice in the case. George Zimmerman, who called his shooting of Martin "self defense," has not been arrested.
The US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday announced they would launch an independent investigation of the shooting.
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