Justice 4 Trayvon Martin The shooting of Trayvon Martin took place on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida . Trayvon Martin was an unarmed, [1] 17-year-old African American who was shot and killed by 28-year-old George Zimmerman, a man of mixed ethnic descent ( Peruvian and white American ). [2] [3] [4] [5]