Rev. Glenn Dames, senior pastor at St. James AME Church, leads people in a prayer at the Titusville Courthouse on Sunday, March 18, 2012, in Titusville, Fla. A rally was held demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, a black Florida teenager fatally shot by a white neighborhood watch volunteer. No charges have been filed in the February death. (AP Photo/Florida Today, Craig Rubadoux) NO SALES; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT: FLORIDATODAY.COM
Rev. Glenn Dames, senior pastor at St. James AME Church, leads people in a prayer at the Titusville Courthouse on Sunday, March 18, 2012, in Titusville, Fla. A rally was held demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, a black Florida teenager fatally shot by a white neighborhood watch volunteer. No charges have been filed in the February death. (AP Photo/Florida Today, Craig Rubadoux) NO SALES; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT: FLORIDATODAY.COM

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — A grand jury will convene in central Florida to consider the case of an unarmed black teen who was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch captain.

In a statement released Tuesday, Seminole County State Attorney Norm Wolfinger urged the public to be patient as the investigation unfolds. He said grand jurors will meet April 10.

The announcement follows the Justice Department’s decision to launch an investigation into the February shooting.

Police say 28-year-old George Zimmerman claims he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self-defense during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford. Police have described Zimmerman as white; his family says he is Hispanic and not racist.

Civil rights activist Al Sharpton is expected to join Sanford city leaders in a Tuesday evening town hall meeting to discuss the investigation.

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