George Zimmerman suffered minor injuries after a man opened fire on him in Lake Mary, Fla. Monday afternoon in what is being described as either a road rage incident or part of an “ongoing dispute.”
According to WESH, Zimmerman, who was acquitted in July 2013 of murder charges in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was driving in his truck when another man in an Infiniti opened fire. Glass from a broken windshield struck Zimmerman in the face, causing minor injuries. Initial reports stated that Zimmerman was struck in the face by a bullet.
According to several reports, the shooter was identified as 35-year-old Matthew Apperson.
Apperson and Zimmerman have a history dating back to last September when Apperson called police to report that Zimmerman threatened to shoot him during a road rage incident. He said that Zimmerman began yelling at him in traffic and then followed him to a gas station before driving away. Apperson, who was reported then to have a concealed carry license, called police two days later to report that Zimmerman was outside of his workplace.
Bullet hole in George Zimmerman's vehicle: http://t.co/m9veTuogaY pic.twitter.com/Ne7yGrEnI3
— News 13 (@MyNews13) May 11, 2015
Police showed up and questioned Zimmerman, who had a gun on him at the time. He said he had a doctor’s appointment in the area. Police confiscated Zimmerman’s handgun during questioning but gave it back.
It is not yet clear what led up to Monday’s shooting, though Apperson reportedly told a bystander “I shot George Zimmerman” and called a police dispatcher to explain what happened.
Zimmerman has been involved in numerous incidents following his acquittal.
In Sept. 2013, Zimmerman was briefly detained after his then-wife, Shellie Zimmerman, said that he threatened her and her father with a gun during a dispute. Zimmerman was not charged in that case.
Zimmerman has also been accused of assault and making threats by his girlfriend. In each case, the girlfriend called police but refused to press charges.
This post has been updated.