The Sanford (Fla.) Police Department reversed its plan to return George Zimmerman's handgun following a directive from the FBI.
The move signals that the U.S. Department of Justice is moving forward with a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
The FBI instructed the Sanford PD to keep Zimmerman's 9mm Kel-Tec PF-9.
Zimmerman was acquited of murder charges Saturday by a six-member jury, a decision that has been followed by violent protests in Los Angeles and Oakland.