(CNN) – An overwhelming majority of Americans believe the man who killed unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin should have been arrested, according to a CNN/ORC International Poll released Wednesday.
George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer, shot and killed Martin in Sanford, Florida, on February 26. He was arrested last week and charged with second-degree murder. Zimmerman says he shot Martin in self-defense.
Wednesday’s poll reported 78% of Americans polled saying they thought Zimmerman should have been arrested, compared to 11% who said he should not have been arrested.
The results mirror an earlier CNN/ORC poll, taken before Zimmerman’s arrest in late March, which showed 73% of Americans saying he should be arrested and 11% saying he should not. The earlier poll indicated 16% were unsure whether Zimmerman should be arrested.
Zimmerman is scheduled to return to court Friday for a bail hearing.
The poll was conducted for CNN by ORC International from Friday to Sunday, with 1,015 adult Americans, including 910 registered voters, questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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