(Creative Commons)

George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, was charged with second-degree murder on Wednesday. 

The announcement was made by the case's special prosecutor in a press conference at 3 p.m. PST.

Shortly before a special prosecutor was set to announce charges against Zimmerman, he was taken into custody, MSNBC reported.

“It’s 44 days later and George Zimmerman is still walking free,” Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, said at a news conference. “It’s 44 days later and my son is in a mausoleum.”

Zimmerman, 28, says he shot Martin in self-defense. The neighborhood watch volunteer says he followed the teenager in a gated Sanford, Fla. community. He says he then returned to his truck when Martin attacked him. He was not arrested because of Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law.

Zimmerman’s attorneys announced Tuesday they would no longer represent him and haven’t heard from him since Sunday. He had contacted talk show host Sean Hannity and Corey, and had launched a website to collect financial donations for legal expenses without consulting his attorneys.

The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation into the killing three weeks ago. According to CBS and the AP, Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the department will take action if it finds evidence that a federal criminal civil rights crime was committed.