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Surprising reporters at the White House on Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama speaks publicly for the first time since the acquittal of former neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.

He says the death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin has raised questions about why young African-Americans experience racial profiling.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING:

"When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago."

Seventeen-year-old Martin was shot dead in Sanford, Florida last year after a confrontation with Zimmerman in a gated community.

Zimmerman - who is 29 and half Hispanic - says he killed Martin in self-defense after being attacked. Jurors found him not guilty of murder or manslaughter last Saturday.

Obama says that verdict could have gone a different way.

(SOUNDBITE) (Englis