When the trial came and went for Michael Dunn, some members of the UCF community drew similarities to the controversial Trayvon Martin case.

Vibert White, a UCF history professor and former aide to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, believes race was definitely a factor in both of the high-profile cases.

“It’s this prevailing, stereotypical idea that they have towards a race, which is profiling,” he said regarding Dunn and George Zimmerman, who was accused of shooting Trayvon Martin. “If you’re a black guy, you’re a thug.”

On Saturday, Dunn was partially convicted for a shooting at a Jacksonville convenience store that killed 17-year-old Jordan Davis and nearly took the lives of his three friends. Underscoring the state’s case against Dunn was possible racial profiling....