Zimmerman not guilty verdict sparks social media avalanche

By Devin Kelly and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times

As expected, social media erupted Saturday night when George Zimmerman was found not guilty on Saturday of all charges in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
The reactions that poured in from around the country ranged from agreement with the verdict to outrage. A number of Twitter users also expressed sympathy for Martin's family.

The entire trial was widely discussed and tracked on social media. Thousands tweeted and posted on Facebook with hashtags such as #Zimmerman and #StandWithTrayvon.

PHOTOS: The controversial case in pictures

Commentary and speculation swirled in the days leading up to the verdict. In a symbolic move, Martin's supporters blacked out Twitter and Facebook profile photos and circulated the #Blackout4Trayvon hashtag.

"We are blacking out our profile photos in a showing of love, unification and solidarity in support of Trayvon Benjamin Martin and have been joined in this effort by his family and their attorneys here on Facebook," according to a statement post on the "Justice for Trayvon Martin" Facebook page.

Here's a sampling of the tweets that poured in immediately after the verdict. Twitter users who thought the verdict was the right call were quick to say so.

For a look at some of the tweets following the verdict, read the LA Times story here.