Prosecutor cancels grand jury in Florida teen's death ORLANDO, Fla. - On the eve of a scheduled hearing by a grand jury into Florida teen Trayvon Martin's shooting death, special prosecutor Angela Corey said Monday that she would forgo the proceedings and make the decision on charges herself. "The decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case," Corey's office said. From the moment she was assigned, Ms. Corey noted she may not need a grand jury. Norm Wolfinger, the state attorney for Seminole and Brevard counties who initially handled the case, had called the grand jury. After he stepped aside, Republican Gov. Rick Scott appointed Corey to take over. Corey's office can choose on its own whether to charge George Zimmerman, 28, with a crime in Martin's death. Martin, 17, was walking back from a convenience store in Sanford on the evening of Feb. 26, carrying Skittles and an iced tea. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in a gated development, called police to report Martin as a suspicious person and followed him, although the dispatcher told him it was unnecessary. An altercation ensued, and Zimmerman shot Martin in what he said was self-defense after Martin slammed his head into the pavement. A police report said Zimmerman had a bloody nose and blood on the back of his head. Martin was black; Zimmerman's father is white and his mother Latina. Critics accuse him at minimum of racial profiling. The killing triggered protests across the country, including one Monday in Sanford by a group called the Dream Defenders. Six protesters wearing hoodies like one Martin wore blocked the entrance to the police department, while others carried signs and sang songs. The protest broke up after nearly five hours when organizers and authorities agreed to a public forum April 19 to discuss the community's problems. Corey's decision not to use a grand jury probably means Zimmerman will not face a first-degree murder charge. Under state law, all first-degree murder cases must be presented to a grand jury. She could consult one later, however. Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said the youth's parents were "not surprised" by the announcement and remained "hopeful that a decision will be reached very soon to arrest George Zimmerman and give Trayvon Martin's family the simple justice they have been seeking all along." "The family has been patient throughout this process and asks that those who support them do the same during this very important investigation," Crump said in a statement. Hal Uhrig, an attorney for Zimmerman, told CNN in a statement that Corey made a "courageous move," although he didn't know what she would decide about charges. Grand juries are sometimes used as a way for prosecutors in high-profile cases to avoid "political fallout" by shifting responsibility, said Charles Rose, a Stetson University College of Law professor and director of Stetson's Center for Excellence in Advocacy. "By not sending it to the grand jury, she's doing the hard, right thing," Rose said, adding that the decision should help ensure the current "media saturation" did not influence the criminal justice process. This is what senior prosecutors are paid to do. But another legal expert said grand juries were particularly useful when the correct course of action was a matter of public debate. It takes the decision "out of the hands of one person" and lends more credibility to the process, said Richard Hornsby, a local defense attorney and legal analyst for WESH-TV. "This is exactly the type of case that a grand jury should consider," Hornsby said. The governor said he was confident Corey would "make a good decision." "What everybody wants is, they want justice," Scott said. The right thing will happen. Orlando Sentinel staff writers Bianca Prieto, Walter Pacheco and Leslie Postal contributed to this report.