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{{Short description|American neighborhood watch coordinator who shot and killed Trayvon Martin}} | |||
{{for|the mayor of Buffalo, New York|George J. Zimmermann}} | |||
{{Other people}} | |||
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} | |||
{{Pp-semi-indef}} | |||
{{infobox person | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}} | |||
|name=George Zimmerman | |||
{{Use American English|date=April 2016}} | |||
|image= | |||
{{Infobox person | |||
|image_caption = | |||
| name = George Zimmerman | |||
| image = <!-- Most images of Zimmerman on Commons have been rejected for use in the infobox due to ] --> | |||
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|10|05}} | |||
| image_size = | |||
| birth_place = ], ], U.S. | |||
| alt = | |||
| height = {{height|precision=2|ft=5|in=7}} | |||
| caption = | |||
| weight = {{convert|185|lb|kg}}{{#tag:ref|Zimmerman's weight was shown as {{convert|185|lb|kg}} on his Seminole County Sheriff's Office Inmate Booking Information on April 11, 2012, the date of his arrest.<ref name="zimmbooking">, Inmate Booking Information, Public Version, 4/11/2012 20:10. (PDF from Central Florida News 13) </ref>|group="Note"}} | |||
| birth_name = George Michael Zimmerman | |||
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1983|10|05}} | |||
| birth_place = ], U.S. | |||
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{Death-date and age|death date†|birth date†}} --> | |||
| death_place = | |||
| other_names = | |||
| alma_mater = {{ubl|All Saints Catholic School|]|]}} | |||
| occupation = Insurance underwriter | |||
| years_active = | |||
| known_for = ] | |||
| spouse = {{marriage|Shellie Nicole Dean|2007|2013|end=divorced}} | |||
| parents = | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''George Michael Zimmerman''' (born October 5, 1983) is an |
'''George Michael Zimmerman''' (born October 5, 1983) is an American man who ], a 17-year-old African-American, in ], on February 26, 2012. On July 13, 2013, he was ] of ] in '']''. After his acquittal, Zimmerman was the target of a shooting. The perpetrator was convicted of attempted murder. | ||
== |
== Background == | ||
George Michael Zimmerman was born on October 5, 1983, in ].<ref name="cnn fast facts">{{Cite news |date=June 25, 2013 |title=Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-fast-facts |url-status=live |access-date=July 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226225504/https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-fast-facts |archive-date=February 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="os who">{{Cite news |last=Weiner |first=Jeff |date=March 20, 2012 |title=Trayvon Martin: Who is crime-watch volunteer George Zimmerman |work=Orlando Sentinel |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2012/03/20/trayvon-martin-celebrities-others-turn-to-social-media-to-call-for-justice/ |access-date=October 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Reuters prelude">{{Cite news |last=Francescani |first=Chris |date=April 25, 2012 |title=George Zimmerman: Prelude to a shooting |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-florida-shooting-zimmerman-idUSBRE83O18H20120425 |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> He is the third of four children, and his siblings include a brother, Robert Jr., and two sisters, Grace and Dawn.<ref name="Reuters prelude" /><ref name="cnn fast facts" /> His mother, Gladys Cristina (''née'' Mesa) Zimmerman, was born in ]. His maternal great-grandfather was of ] descent.<ref name="Reuters prelude" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blanco, hispano, negro... muchos latinos se ven atrapados entre las categorías raciales |url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-10-19/news/eo-zimmerman-1020-20121019_1_hijo-cuando-la-familia-creci |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024110746/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-10-19/news/eo-zimmerman-1020-20121019_1_hijo-cuando-la-familia-creci |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 24, 2015 |access-date=April 6, 2016 |website=tribunedigital-orlandosentinel |language=Spanish}}</ref> His father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., is a U.S. Army veteran with a military career of 22 years, first as an Army sergeant and then 10 years at the ].<ref name="Reuters prelude" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Robb |first=Amanda |date=September 29, 2014 |title=Meet George Zimmerman's Family |url=https://www.gq.com/story/george-zimmerman-family-values |website=GQ |language=en-us}}</ref> Before retiring to Florida in 2002, Zimmerman Sr. had served as a magistrate in ]'s 19th Judicial District.<ref name="Reuters prelude" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Boedeker |first=Hal |date=February 16, 2013 |title=George Zimmerman: Brother says Sanford's history adds to furor |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2013/02/16/george-zimmerman-brother-says-sanfords-history-adds-to-furor/ |access-date=September 17, 2013 |website=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref><ref name="wp-who">{{Cite news |last1=Roig-Franzia |first1=Manuel |last2=Jackman |first2=Tom |last3=Fears |first3=Darryl |date=March 22, 2012 |title=Who is George Zimmerman? |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/who-is-george-zimmerman/2012/03/22/gIQAkXdbUS_singlePage.html |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
George Michael Zimmerman was born on October 5, 1983, in ], and is the son of Gladys (née Mesa) Zimmerman and Robert Zimmerman, Sr.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-fast-facts|publisher=CNN|accessdate=July 12, 2013|date=June 25, 2013}}</ref>Zimmerman is the third of four children and his siblings include a brother, Robert Jr. and two sisters, Grace and Dawn.<ref name="Reuters prelude">{{cite news|author=Francescani, Chris|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/25/us-usa-florida-shooting-zimmerman-idUSBRE83O18H20120425|title=George Zimmerman: Prelude to a shooting|agency=Reuters|date=April 25, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref><ref name="os who">{{cite web|author=Weiner, Jeff|title=Trayvon Martin: Who is crime-watch volunteer George Zimmerman|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-20/news/os-trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-20120320_1_robert-zimmerman-domestic-violence-online-petition|publisher=Orlando Sentinel|date=March 20, 2012|accessdate=October 2, 2013}}</ref>Gladys Zimmerman was born in ] and has some black ancestry through her Afro-Peruvian maternal grandfather.<ref name="Reuters prelude"/>Robert Zimmerman, Sr. is an ] of ] and served 22 years in the military working for the Department of Defense for the last 10 years of his military career. Before retiring to Florida in 2002, Zimmerman, Sr. had served as a magistrate in Fairfax County's 19th Judicial District.<ref>{{cite web|author=Boedeker, Hal|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-02-16/entertainment/os-george-zimmerman-sanford-bill-maher-20130216_1_george-zimmerman-trayvon-martin-robert-zimmerman |title=George Zimmerman: Brother says Sanford's history adds to furor |work=Orlando Sentinel|date=February 16, 2013 |accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Reuters prelude"/><ref name="wp-who">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/who-is-george-zimmerman/2012/03/22/gIQAkXdbUS_singlePage.html|title=Who is George Zimmerman?|last=Roig-Franzia, Manuel|coauthors=Jackman, Tom and Fears, Darryl|date=March 22, 2012|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Daily Mail|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2122245/Trayvon-Martin-case-George-Zimmermans-brother-defends-father-attacks-Obama.html |title=Trayvon Martin case: George Zimmerman's brother defends him as his father attacks Obama |work=] |date=April 5, 2012 |accessdate=September 17, 2013|location=London}}</ref>George Zimmerman's voter registration record lists him as a Democrat and a ].<ref name="AP-race">{{cite news| url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NEIGHBORHOOD_WATCH_WHITE_OR_HISPANIC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |title=Florida shooter's race a complicated matter|last=Gamboa|first=Suzanne|date=March 29, 2012|agency=Associated Press|accessdate=April 11, 2012|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20120406122016/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NEIGHBORHOOD_WATCH_WHITE_OR_HISPANIC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT|archivedate = April 6, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/320318/20120327/george-zimmerman-trayvon-martin-democrat-hispanic-shooting.htm|title=Voting Form Shows George Zimmerman Is A Registered Democrat, Confounding Message Pushed By Left|last=Connor|first=Adam Sheets|date=March 27, 2012|work=]|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
Zimmerman |
Zimmerman identifies as ] on voter registration forms.<ref name="AP-race">{{Cite news |last=Gamboa |first=Suzanne |date=March 29, 2012 |title=Florida shooter's race a complicated matter |agency=Associated Press |url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NEIGHBORHOOD_WATCH_WHITE_OR_HISPANIC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |access-date=April 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406122016/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NEIGHBORHOOD_WATCH_WHITE_OR_HISPANIC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |archive-date=April 6, 2012}}</ref> Zimmerman's family was known for being devoutly religious. He was raised as a Catholic and served as an ] from age 7 to 17.<ref name="wp-who" /> Zimmerman attended All Saints Catholic School in Manassas before going to public high school.<ref name="wp-who" /> At age 14, Zimmerman joined an after-school ] program because he had wanted to become a ].<ref name="Reuters prelude" /> When Zimmerman was 15 years old, he held three part-time jobs on nights and weekends to save up for a car. Zimmerman graduated from ] in 2001.<ref name="Reuters prelude" /><ref name="wp-who" /> | ||
According to the ] voter records, Zimmerman registered as a ] in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sheets |first=Connor Adams |date=March 27, 2012 |title=Voting Form Shows George Zimmerman Is A Registered Democrat, Confounding Message Pushed By Left |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/voting-form-shows-george-zimmerman-registered-democrat-confounding-message-pushed-left-430738 |access-date=April 6, 2016 |website=International Business Times}}</ref> According to his brother Robert, Zimmerman voted for Barack Obama in the ]. Zimmerman later became a critic of Obama.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hensch |first=Mark |date=January 6, 2016 |title=George Zimmerman rips Obama's 'crocodile tears' on guns |publisher=thehill.com |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/264992-george-zimmerman-rips-obamas-crocodile-tears-on-guns/}}</ref> | |||
===Move to Florida=== | |||
=== Move to Florida === | |||
After graduating from high school, Zimmerman moved to Lake Mary, Florida where he got a job at an insurance agency. Zimmerman took classes at night to obtain a license to sell insurance. It was during this time when he became friends with Lee Ann Benjamin, a real estate agent, and her husband John Donnelly, a Sanford attorney.<ref name="Reuters prelude"/>Benjamin and Donnelly would both later testify on his behalf at his trial in the death of Martin.<ref name="benjamin donnelly">{{cite news|author=Manuel Roig-Franzia|title=George Zimmerman trial continues to focus on 911 call|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/george-zimmerman-trial-continues-to-focus-on-911-tape/2013/07/08/97e65f6c-e7e9-11e2-aa9f-c03a72e2d342_story.html|publisher=The Washington Post|date=July 8, 2013|accessdate=October 2, 2013}}</ref> | |||
After graduating from high school, Zimmerman moved to ], a suburb of ], where he was employed by an insurance agency. Zimmerman took classes at night to obtain a license to sell insurance. It was during this time when he became friends with Lee Ann Benjamin, a real estate agent, and her husband John Donnelly, a Sanford attorney.<ref name="Reuters prelude" /> Benjamin and Donnelly would both testify on his behalf at his trial in the death of Martin.<ref name="benjamin donnelly">{{Cite news |last=Roig-Franzia |first=Manuel |date=July 8, 2013 |title=George Zimmerman trial continues to focus on 911 call |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/george-zimmerman-trial-continues-to-focus-on-911-tape/2013/07/08/97e65f6c-e7e9-11e2-aa9f-c03a72e2d342_story.html |access-date=October 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name="benjamin donn2">{{Cite news |date=July 8, 2013 |title=Judge rules defense can show Trayvon Martin died with marijuana in his system |publisher=Fox News |url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/08/zimmerman-defense-to-continue-presentation-monday/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709071211/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/08/zimmerman-defense-to-continue-presentation-monday/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2013 |access-date=October 2, 2013}}</ref> According to Donnelly, in 2004 Zimmerman and an African-American friend opened a satellite office of ], which failed a year later. | |||
<ref name="benjamin donn2">{{cite news|author=Fox News|title=Judge rules defense can show Trayvon Martin died with marijuana in his system|url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/08/zimmerman-defense-to-continue-presentation-monday/|publisher=Fox News|date=July 8, 2013|accessdate=October 2, 2013}}</ref>According to Donnelly, in 2004 Zimmerman and an African-American friend opened a satellite office of Allstate insurance which eventually failed a year later. In July of 2005, when he was 21, Zimmerman was arrested and charged after shoving an "undercover alcohol-control agent" while a friend of Zimmerman's was being arrested for underage drinking. The charges were subsequently dropped when Zimmerman entered a pre-trial diversion program that included anger management classes.<ref name="Reuters prelude"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Associate Press|title=George Zimmerman's wife testifies at bond hearing: 'He is absolutely not a violent person'|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57417663/george-zimmermans-wife-testifies-at-bond-hearing-he-is-absolutely-not-a-violent-person/|publisher=CBS News|date=April 20, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> Also in 2005, Zimmerman's ex-fiancée filed a restraining order against him, alleging domestic violence. Zimmerman requested a reciprocal restraining order. Both orders were granted.<ref name="Reuters prelude"/><ref>{{cite web|author=MSNBC.com Staff|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/27/10894561-zimmerman-accused-of-domestic-violence-fighting-with-a-police-officer|title=Zimmerman accused of domestic violence, fighting with a police officer |work=U.S. News|publisher=NBC News|date=March 27, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> These incidents were raised by prosecutors at Zimmerman's initial bond hearing. The judge described the arrests as "run of the mill." <ref name="Reuters prelude"/><ref name="bondhearingcnn">{{cite news|author=CNN Wire Staff|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2012-04-20/justice/justice_florida-teen-shooting_1_bond-judge-kenneth-r-lester-judge-sets?_s=PM:JUSTICE|title=Zimmerman apologizes as judge sets $150,000 bond|publisher=CNN|date=April 20, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref><ref name="bondhearingLATimes">{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/20/nation/la-na-nn-george-zimmerman-bond-trayvon-martin-20120420|title=George Zimmerman apologizes to Trayvon Martin family; bond is set|first=Richard|last=Fausset|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 20, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
===Move to Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford=== | |||
Zimmerman married Shellie Dean, a licensed cosmetologist in 2007 and two years later they rented a townhouse in the Retreat at Twin Lakes. Zimmerman had also previously been employed at a car dealership and a mortgage company.<ref name="Reuters prelude"/><ref name="os who"/>Zimmerman enrolled in ] in 2009 and was working on an ] in criminal justice. In December 2011 he was allowed to participate in a school graduation ceremony, even though he was a course credit shy of his degree. He was completing that credit at the time of the shooting. Zimmerman was employed as an insurance underwriter at that time also.<ref name="Reuters prelude" /><ref name="os who"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Robles |first=Frances|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/records-show-george-zimmerman-got-ds-in-criminal-justice-classes/1245098 |title=Records show George Zimmerman got D's in criminal justice classes |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=August 9, 2012 |accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
In July 2005, Zimmerman was arrested after allegedly assaulting an undercover police officer who was attempting to arrest a friend of his at a bar. The charges were dropped after Zimmerman agreed to enter an alcohol education program. A month later in August, Zimmerman's former fiancée filed a restraining order against him, citing domestic violence as the cause.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 25, 2015 |title=A list of George Zimmerman's past run-ins with the law |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/a-list-of-george-zimmermans-past-run-ins-with-the-law |access-date=January 15, 2020 |website=Associated Press |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
In early 2011, Zimmerman participated in a citizen forum at the Sanford City Hall, to protest the beating of a black homeless man by the son of a white Sanford police officer. During the meeting, Zimmerman claimed he witnessed "disgusting behavior" while in ride-along program with local police; however the police department said it did not know when, if ever, Zimmerman was in that program.<ref>{{cite news|title=Zimmerman publicly accused Sanford police of corruption in 2011|url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/05/zimmerman-publicly-accused-sanford-police-of-corruption-in-2011-76322.html|first=Scott|last=Thuman|date=May 24, 2012|publisher=WJLA-TV|location=Washington, DC|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref><ref name="miherald forum">{{cite web|author=Robles, Frances|title=George Zimmerman: In 2010, lazy Sanford police engaged in coverup|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/22/2813681/zimmerman-rode-with-cops-ripped.html|publisher=Miami Herald|date=May 23, 2012|accessdate=October 2, 2013}}</ref> | |||
=== Move to the Retreat at Twin Lakes === | |||
==Trayvon Martin shooting and trial== | |||
Zimmerman married Shellie Dean, a licensed ], in 2007. Two years later, they rented a townhouse in the Retreat at Twin Lakes in ]. Zimmerman had previously been employed at a car dealership and a mortgage audit firm.<ref name="os who" /><ref name="Reuters prelude" /> Zimmerman enrolled in ] in 2009 and was working on an ] in criminal justice. In December 2011 he was allowed to participate in a school graduation ceremony, although he was a course credit shy of his degree. He was completing that credit at the time of the shooting. Zimmerman was employed as an insurance underwriter.<ref name="os who" /><ref name="Reuters prelude" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Robles |first=Frances |date=August 9, 2012 |title=Records show George Zimmerman got D's in criminal justice classes |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/records-show-george-zimmerman-got-ds-in-criminal-justice-classes/1245098/ |access-date=September 17, 2013 |website=Tampa Bay Times}}</ref> | |||
{{main|Shooting of Trayvon Martin|State of Florida v. George Zimmerman}} | |||
On February 26, 2012, Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old ] high school student ] in The Retreat at Twin Lakes community in Sanford, Florida.<ref name="Reuters prelude"/> Zimmerman was the ] coordinator for the ] where Martin was temporarily staying and where the shooting occurred.<ref name="Rally">{{cite news| url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-14/news/os-trayvon-martin-shooting-death-rally-20120314_1_demand-justice-fatal-shooting-bryant|title=Trayvon Martin: 'We are gathered here today to demand justice' in teen's fatal shooting|last=Prieto|first=Bianca|date=March 14, 2012|work=]|accessdate=March 20, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hamacher|first=Brian |url=http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/George-Zimmerman-to-Make-First-Appearance-Before-Judge-Thursday-147134515.html |title=George Zimmerman Makes First Appearance Before Judge |publisher=NBC Miami |accessdate=April 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name="designated watch">{{cite news|title=Trayvon Martin death spotlights neighborhood watch groups|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/us/trayvon-martin-death-spotlights-neighborhood-watch-groups.html?_r=1|work=The New York Times|accessdate=June 23, 2012|first1=Campbell|last1=Robertson|first2=John|last2=Schwartz|date=March 22, 2012}}</ref> The ] issued a statement that said that the program in the neighborhood where the altercation between Zimmerman and Martin transpired was not associated with the national organization and that Zimmerman ignored everything the program stands for. Their statement also said that Zimmerman was self-appointed, and it describes the shooting of Trayvon as a tragedy.<ref>. ]. Retrieved October 17, 2013.</ref> The Twin Lakes Neighborhood Watch program was administered by the local police department. Following an earlier call from Zimmerman, police arrived within two minutes of a gunshot during an altercation in which Zimmerman fatally shot Martin, who did not possess any weapons. Zimmerman was subsequently taken into custody, treated for head injuries, then questioned for five hours. The police chief said that Zimmerman was released because there was no evidence to refute Zimmerman's claim of having acted in self-defense, and that under Florida's ] statute, the police were prohibited by law from making an arrest.<ref name=warrant>{{cite news|last=Robles|first=Frances|title=Sanford cops sought warrant to arrest George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin shooting|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/sanford-cops-sought-warrant-to-arrest-george-zimmerman-in-trayvon-martin/1222259|newspaper=Tampa Bay Times|date=March 27, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> The police chief also said that Zimmerman had had a right to defend himself with lethal force.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Trymaine|title=Trayvon Martin Case: Police Chief Bill Lee Under Fire With 'No Confidence' Vote|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/trayvon-martin-case-george-zimmerman-bill-lee_n_1371635.html|work=Huffington Post|date=March 22, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> As news of the case spread, thousands of protestors across the country called for Zimmerman's arrest and a full investigation.<ref name=protests032712>{{cite news|author=CNN Wire Staff|title=From coast to coast, protestors demand justice in Trayvon Martin case|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/26/justice/florida-teen-shooting-events|publisher=CNN|date=March 27, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> Six weeks after the shooting, amid widespread, intense, and in some cases ],<ref>{{cite web|author=Moore, Frazier|url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/nbc-fires-producer-of-misleading-tape_n_1409405.html |title=NBC Fires Producer Of Misleading Zimmerman Tape|work=]|date= April 7, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Deadline Team|url= http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/third-person-exits-nbc-over-misleading-edit-of-zimmermans-911-audio/|title=Third Person Exits NBC Over Misleading Edit Of Zimmerman’s 911 Audio |publisher=]|date= May 12, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> Zimmerman was ] by a ] appointed by Governor ].<ref name="jury select">{{cite news|last=McClam |first=Erin |url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/10/18880979-potential-trayvon-martin-case-jurors-get-look-at-defendant-george-zimmerman?lite |title=Potential Trayvon Martin case jurors get look at defendant George Zimmerman |publisher=]|date=June 10, 2013|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
In early 2011, Zimmerman participated in a citizen forum at the Sanford City Hall to protest against the beating of a black homeless man by the son of a white Sanford police officer. During the meeting, Zimmerman claimed he witnessed "disgusting behavior" while participating in a ride-along program with local police; however, the police department said later that it did not know when, if ever, Zimmerman was in that program.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thuman |first=Scott |date=May 24, 2012 |title=Zimmerman publicly accused Sanford police of corruption in 2011 |publisher=WJLA-TV |location=Washington, DC |url=http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/05/zimmerman-publicly-accused-sanford-police-of-corruption-in-2011-76322.html |access-date=September 17, 2013 |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224109/http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/05/zimmerman-publicly-accused-sanford-police-of-corruption-in-2011-76322.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="miherald forum">{{Cite news |last=Robles |first=Frances |date=May 23, 2012 |title=George Zimmerman: In 2010, lazy Sanford police engaged in coverup |work=Miami Herald |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/22/2813681/zimmerman-rode-with-cops-ripped.html |url-status=dead |access-date=October 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005011406/http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/22/2813681/zimmerman-rode-with-cops-ripped.html |archive-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> | |||
] began on June 10, 2013, in Sanford. On July 13, 2013, a jury acquitted Zimmerman of the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.<ref>{{cite web|last=Campo |first=Arian |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324879504578603562762064502.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories |title=Jury Acquits Zimmerman of All Charges |work=The Wall Street Journal|date=July 14, 2013|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
== Trayvon Martin shooting and trial == | |||
=== Other encounters with police === | |||
{{Main|Killing of Trayvon Martin|Trial of George Zimmerman}} | |||
{{expand section|date=September 2013}} | |||
On September 9, 2013, in ], police responded to a 911 call by Zimmerman's estranged wife, who reported that Zimmerman had threatened her and her parents with a gun and had punched her father in the face. Zimmerman was briefly detained and questioned by police.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kuo, Vivian|title=George Zimmerman detained|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/09/us/george-zimmerman-detained/|publisher=CNN|date=September 10, 2013|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> No gun was found at the scene. Police were investigating a broken iPad for video to determine if they would press charges, and if they would be against Zimmerman or his wife.<ref>{{cite web|author=Associated Press|title=iPad video key in George Zimmerman domestic dispute case with estranged wife|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/police-chief-zimmermans-wife-wont-press-charges-even-though-she-said-he-threatened-with-gun/2013/09/09/ac73bba4-19b8-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html|publisher=The Washington Post|date=September 12, 2013|accessdate=September 17, 2013}}</ref> His wife declined to press charges and said that she had not actually seen a gun but had assumed Zimmerman had had a gun from his stance and the way he was putting his hand in his shirt. She said, in a subsequent interview on the Today show, "In hindsight I should've , and I really regret that, but I'm on probation and the officers made it very clear that day if I pressed charges we were all going to go to jail and I would've been the only one to stay there."<ref name=shelliedoubts>{{cite news|last=Stump|first=Scott|title=George Zimmerman’s wife: 'I have doubts but I also believe the evidence'|url=http://www.today.com/news/george-zimmermans-wife-i-have-doubts-i-also-believe-evidence-8C11257699|newspaper=Today News|date=September 26, 2013}}</ref> | |||
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==Notes== | |||
{{reflist|group="Note"}} | |||
On February 26, 2012, Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old African-American high school student ] in ] community in Sanford, Florida.<ref name="Reuters prelude" /> Zimmerman was the ] coordinator in his gated community; Martin was temporarily staying there at the time.<ref name="Rally">{{Cite news |last=Prieto |first=Bianca |date=March 14, 2012 |title=Trayvon Martin: 'We are gathered here today to demand justice' in teen's fatal shooting |work=] |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2012/03/14/trayvon-martin-shooting-another-neighborhood-watch-leaders-view/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707204417/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-14/news/os-trayvon-martin-shooting-death-rally-20120314_1_demand-justice-fatal-shooting-bryant |archive-date=July 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hamacher |first=Brian |title=George Zimmerman Makes First Appearance Before Judge |publisher=NBC Miami |url=http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/George-Zimmerman-to-Make-First-Appearance-Before-Judge-Thursday-147134515.html |access-date=April 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name="designated watch">{{Cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Campbell |last2=Schwartz |first2=John |date=March 22, 2012 |title=Trayvon Martin death spotlights neighborhood watch groups |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/us/trayvon-martin-death-spotlights-neighborhood-watch-groups.html?_r=1 |access-date=June 23, 2012}}</ref> The Twin Lakes Neighborhood Watch program was not registered with the ], but was administered by the local police department.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NSA Statement on the NW Tragedy in FL |url=http://www.sheriffs.org/content/nsa-statement-nw-tragedy-fl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910184500/http://www.sheriffs.org/content/nsa-statement-nw-tragedy-fl |archive-date=September 10, 2013 |access-date=October 17, 2013 |publisher=]}}</ref> Following an earlier call from Zimmerman, police arrived within two minutes of a gunshot during an altercation in which Zimmerman fatally shot Martin, who did not possess any weapons. Zimmerman was subsequently taken into custody, treated for head injuries, and questioned for five hours. | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist|2}} | |||
The police chief said that Zimmerman was released because there was no evidence to refute Zimmerman's claim of having acted in self-defense. Under Florida's ] statute, the police were prohibited by law from making an arrest.<ref name="warrant">{{Cite news |last=Robles |first=Frances |date=March 27, 2012 |title=Sanford cops sought warrant to arrest George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin shooting |work=Tampa Bay Times |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/sanford-cops-sought-warrant-to-arrest-george-zimmerman-in-trayvon-martin/1222259/ |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> The police chief said that Zimmerman had a right to defend himself with lethal force.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Trymaine |date=March 22, 2012 |title=Trayvon Martin Case: Police Chief Bill Lee Under Fire With 'No Confidence' Vote |work=Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/trayvon-martin-case-george-zimmerman-bill-lee_n_1371635.html |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> As news of the case spread, thousands of protesters across the United States called for Zimmerman's arrest and a full investigation.<ref name="protests032712">{{Cite news |date=March 27, 2012 |title=From coast to coast, protestors demand justice in Trayvon Martin case |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/26/justice/florida-teen-shooting-events |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> Six weeks after the shooting, amid widespread, intense, and in some cases ],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Frazier |date=April 7, 2012 |title=NBC Fires Producer Of Misleading Zimmerman Tape |work=] |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/nbc-fires-producer-of-misleading-tape_n_1409405.html |url-status=dead |access-date=September 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026070221/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/nbc-fires-producer-of-misleading-tape_n_1409405.html |archive-date=October 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 12, 2012 |title=Third Person Exits NBC Over Misleading Edit Of Zimmerman's 911 Audio |url=https://deadline.com/2012/05/third-person-exits-nbc-over-misleading-edit-of-zimmermans-911-audio-266597/ |access-date=September 17, 2013 |website=]}}</ref> Zimmerman was ] by a ] appointed by Governor ].<ref name="jury select">{{Cite news |last=McClam |first=Erin |date=June 10, 2013 |title=Potential Trayvon Martin case jurors get look at defendant George Zimmerman |work=] |url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/10/18880979-potential-trayvon-martin-case-jurors-get-look-at-defendant-george-zimmerman |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
] began on June 10, 2013, in Sanford. On July 13, a jury acquitted Zimmerman of the charges of second degree murder and manslaughter.<ref name="acquit">{{Cite news |last=Campo |first=Arian |date=July 14, 2013 |title=Jury Acquits Zimmerman of All Charges |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324879504578603562762064502 |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> For three years, the ] (DOJ) investigated Zimmerman on civil rights charges.<ref name="edwards022015" /> In February 2015, the DOJ concluded there was not sufficient evidence that Zimmerman intentionally violated the civil rights of Martin,<ref name="edwards022015" /> saying the Zimmerman case did not meet the "high standard" for a federal ] prosecution.<ref name="edwards022015">{{Cite news |last=Edwards |first=Julia |date=February 24, 2015 |title=U.S. won't file charges against George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin death |work=] |agency=Reuters |url=https://news.yahoo.com/justice-dept-wont-file-charges-trayvon-martin-killing-181051178.html |access-date=February 25, 2015}}</ref> | |||
After DOJ said it would not charge him with a hate crime, Zimmerman said he felt free to speak his opinion "without fear of retaliation".<ref name="stein201503">{{Cite news |last=Stein |first=Letitia |date=March 24, 2015 |title=Zimmerman blames Obama for racial tensions after Trayvon Martin shooting |work=] |agency=Reuters |url=https://news.yahoo.com/zimmerman-blames-obama-racial-tensions-trayvon-martin-shooting-220147383.html |access-date=March 24, 2015}}</ref> Zimmerman criticized the government and ]. He believed Obama inflamed racial tensions. "He by far overstretched, overreached, even broke the law in certain aspects to where you have an innocent American being prosecuted by the federal government," Zimmerman said.<ref name="stein201503" /> | |||
According to Zimmerman's brother Robert Jr. in 2014, in the year following the trial, Zimmerman was both homeless and jobless. Robert Jr. said that, while he believed his brother's "state of mind" was better, Zimmerman was "a very traumatized person because he has had his liberty taken away from him".<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 7, 2014 |title=One year later, where are players in George Zimmerman trial? |work=Orlando Sentinel |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2014/06/07/one-year-later-where-are-players-in-george-zimmerman-trial/}}</ref> | |||
Between the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the trial, Zimmerman gained 100 to 125 pounds (45–57 kg) in about a 16-month period.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morgan |first=Piers |date=May 28, 2013 |title=Mark O'Mara on his client George Zimmerman: "He's gained an enormous amount of weight" |work=CNN |url=http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/28/mark-omara-on-his-client-george-zimmerman-hes-gained-an-enormous-amount-of-weight/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705041823/http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/28/mark-omara-on-his-client-george-zimmerman-hes-gained-an-enormous-amount-of-weight/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 5, 2013 |access-date=November 21, 2013}}</ref> He weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg) at the trial.<ref name="goldstein" /> His weight was discussed by ] and similar media with speculation as to how it might affect the jury's perceptions.<ref name="goldstein">{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Sasha |date=April 30, 2013 |title=George Zimmerman gains more than 100 pounds since fatally shooting Trayvon Martin |work=] |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/george-zimmerman-heavier-shooting-trayvon-martin-article-1.1331610 |access-date=November 21, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 10, 2013 |title=Will Zimmerman's Weight Impact Trial? |url=http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/06/10/how-will-george-zimmerman%E2%80%99s-weight-gain-impact-murder-trial |access-date=November 21, 2013 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowker |first=Makenzie |date=June 8, 2013 |title=What's behind George Zimmerman's weight gain? |url=http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/06/07/whats-behind-george-zimmermans-weight-gain |access-date=November 21, 2013 |website=HLN TV}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Villalva |first=Brittney R. |date=June 26, 2013 |title=George Zimmerman Weight: Gains 120 Pounds as Defense Tactic? (VIDEO) |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/george-zimmerman-weight-gains-120-pounds-as-defense-tactic-video-98854/ |access-date=November 21, 2013 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Coscarelli |first=Joe |date=May 1, 2013 |title=George Zimmerman Gained Some Serious Weight |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/05/george-zimmerman-got-fat.html |access-date=November 21, 2013}}</ref> | |||
== Life after the trial == | |||
=== Car accident rescue === | |||
On July 17, 2013, four days after the trial verdict, Zimmerman and another man helped rescue a family of four from their vehicle after a single-car accident in Sanford.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bacon |first=John |title=George Zimmerman helps rescue family from car wreck |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/22/sanford-zimmerman-rescue/2575217/ |access-date=November 23, 2022 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
=== Domestic violence arrests === | |||
In 2013, Zimmerman's estranged wife called 911 to report that Zimmerman had assaulted her father and was threatening her with a gun. Zimmerman was not charged over the incident.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Stanglin |first1=Doug |last2=Welch |first2=William M. |last3=Bacon |first3=John |title=Police: Zimmerman wife not pressing charges |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/09/george-zimmerman-gun-incident-florida-trayvon-martin/2788443/ |access-date=January 15, 2020 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> In November of that same year, Zimmerman was charged with felony aggravated assault after he allegedly pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend during a domestic violence incident. The case was later dropped.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yan |first=Holly |date=May 12, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman's history with the law |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/12/us/george-zimmerman-timeline/index.html |access-date=January 15, 2020 |website=CNN}}</ref> In January 2015, Zimmerman was again charged with domestic assault after allegedly throwing a wine bottle at a different girlfriend. Again the charges were later dropped.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holley |first=Peter |title=George Zimmerman back in court after domestic violence incident |language=en |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/01/10/george-zimmerman-back-in-court-after-domestic-violence-incident/ |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=George Zimmerman Arrested for Aggravated Assault |url=https://time.com/3662612/george-zimmerman-aggravated-assault-arrest/ |magazine=Time |language=en |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref> | |||
=== Shooting by Matthew Apperson === | |||
On September 9, 2014, Zimmerman was named by police in a road rage incident in which another driver, later named by police as Matthew Apperson, claimed that Zimmerman followed and threatened him.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shapiro |first=Emily |date=May 12, 2015 |title=Zimmerman Shooting: Bystander Recounts What Man Said After Firing Gun |work=] |agency=ABC News |url=https://news.yahoo.com/bystander-recounts-man-said-allegedly-shooting-george-zimmerman-154125973--abc-news-topstories.html |access-date=May 12, 2015}}</ref><ref name="shapiro2015">{{Cite web |last=Dahm |first=Daniel |date=September 12, 2014 |title=George Zimmerman threatened to kill man in road rage incident, Florida police say |url=http://www.clickorlando.com/news/george-zimmerman-threatened-to-shoot-man-in-road-rage-incident-florida-police-say/28030558 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020083524/http://www.clickorlando.com/news/george-zimmerman-threatened-to-shoot-man-in-road-rage-incident-florida-police-say/28030558 |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |access-date=October 16, 2014 |website=ClickOrlando.com |publisher=WKMG-TV |location=Orlando}}</ref> Zimmerman later claimed in testimony that Apperson approached him over a rear tire leaking air, which Zimmerman was already aware of. He had explained this to Apperson before Apperson asked if Zimmerman knew he was "wrong for killing that little black boy". Zimmerman lost Apperson after the two stopped at a gas station and Zimmerman drove off.<ref name="2015testimony" /> | |||
On May 11, 2015, Apperson shot at Zimmerman while the two were driving in separate cars on a street in Lake Mary. Zimmerman was grazed by glass and metal shards when the bullet broke through his passenger-side window and was stopped by the metal window frame, causing minor facial injuries from flying glass and debris. Zimmerman flagged down a police officer and was taken to the hospital.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 11, 2015 |title=Police: George Zimmerman involved in Florida shooting |work=] |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/11/us/florida-george-zimmerman-shooting/index.html |access-date=May 11, 2015}}</ref><ref name="WESH_20150511">{{Cite news |date=May 11, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman suffers minor injuries in shooting incident, attorney says |work=] |url=http://www.wesh.com/news/george-zimmerman-involved-in-shooting-in-lake-mary-police-say/32943828 |access-date=May 11, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Sentinel20150511">{{Cite news |last1=Weiner |first1=Jeff |last2=Allen |first2=Stephanie |date=May 11, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman suffers facial wounds after Lake Mary shooting |work=] |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/os-george-zimmerman-shooting-lake-mary-20150511-story.html |access-date=May 11, 2015}}</ref> Apperson maintained that Zimmerman was the aggressor and that Apperson acted in ].<ref name="WFTV201505" /><ref name="OS20150512">{{Cite news |last=Walden |first=Tiffany |date=May 12, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman was armed, followed before Lake Mary shooting, attorney says |work=] |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/os-george-zimmerman-shooting-20150512-story.html |access-date=May 12, 2015}}</ref> Zimmerman also had a gun with him at the time of the incident, but Zimmerman's attorney said that "George absolutely denies having shown it, waved, displayed, pointed it." A Lake Mary police spokesperson stated that "the investigation has proven that George Zimmerman was not the shooter."<ref name="WFTV201505">{{Cite web |date=May 11, 2015 |title=Attorney: Man shot at George Zimmerman in self-defense |url=http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/george-zimmerman-shot-lake-mary/nmDZj/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511215629/http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/george-zimmerman-shot-lake-mary/nmDZj/ |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |access-date=May 12, 2015 |website=]}}</ref> | |||
On May 15, 2015, Apperson was jailed in Sanford, Florida with a bond of $35,000.<ref name="CNN20150515">{{Cite news |last=Ellis |first=Ralph |date=May 15, 2015 |title=Man charged with shooting into George Zimmerman's truck, Florida police say |work=] |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/us/george-zimmerman-truck-shot/index.html |access-date=May 15, 2015}}</ref> While free on bond, Apperson was accused, convicted and jailed for disorderly conduct, which revoked his bond.<ref name=os122015/> Lake Mary PD "learned that Apperson has exhibited unusual behaviors in which he had recently been admitted to a mental institution. It appears that Apperson has a fixation on Zimmerman and has displayed some signs of paranoia, anxiety, and bipolar disorder."<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 15, 2015 |title=ARREST REPORT, APPERSON, MATTHEW BARBOUR |url=http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/documents/2015/05/15/ARREST_REPORT_APPERSON.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530045137/http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/documents/2015/05/15/ARREST_REPORT_APPERSON.pdf |archive-date=May 30, 2015 |agency=Lake Mary Police Department}}</ref> | |||
On September 22, 2015, a judge ruled Apperson would stand trial for second-degree attempted murder along with one count of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle.<ref name="2015testimony">{{Cite news |last=Almasy |first=Steve |date=September 22, 2015 |title=Judge orders trial for man accused of shooting at George Zimmerman |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/22/us/george-zimmerman-matthew-apperson-attempted-murder-trial/}}</ref><ref name="os122015">{{Cite web |last=Stutzman |first=Rene |title=Judge returns Matthew Apperson to jail |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-matthew-apperson-bond-hearing-20151210-story.html |access-date=April 24, 2023 |website=Orlando Sentinel|date=December 10, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 18, 2016 |title=Man who shot at George Zimmerman charged with attempted murder |url=http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2015/06/18/man-who-shot-at-george-zimmerman-charged-with-attempted-murder/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418195446/http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2015/06/18/man-who-shot-at-george-zimmerman-charged-with-attempted-murder/ |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |access-date=April 24, 2023 |website=]}}</ref> Apperson was convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault with a firearm on September 16, 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Keith |date=September 17, 2016 |title=Man who shot at George Zimmerman convicted of attempted murder |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/16/us/george-zimmerman-matthew-apperson-attempted-murder-conviction/index.html |access-date=April 24, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> On October 17, 2016, Apperson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the charge of attempted second-degree murder. He was also given a 15-year concurrent sentence for aggravated assault stemming from the same incident.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nottingham |first=Shawn |date=October 17, 2016 |title=Man sentenced in road rage shooting involving George Zimmerman |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/17/us/george-zimmerman-matthew-apperson-road-rage-sentencing/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stutzman |first=Rene |title=Matthew Apperson, the man who shot at George Zimmerman, gets 20 years in prison |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-matthew-apperson-sentence-20161014-story.html |access-date=April 24, 2023 |website=Orlando Sentinel|date=October 17, 2016 }}</ref> | |||
=== Paintings === | |||
In December 2013, Zimmerman began selling paintings he had made. His first painting, of an American flag, sold for $100,099.99 on eBay in late December.<ref name="waxman">{{Cite magazine |last=Waxman |first=Olivia B. |date=January 24, 2014 |title=George Zimmerman's Paintings: A Critical Appraisal |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/24/george-zimmermans-paintings-a-critical-appraisal/ |magazine=] |access-date=January 25, 2014}}</ref> | |||
On the auction page for the painting, Zimmerman wrote: | |||
<blockquote>Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself. I found a creative way to express myself, my emotions, and the symbols that represent my experiences. My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet, and allows me to remain indoors :-) | |||
I hope you enjoy owning this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it. Your friend, George Zimmerman.<ref name="waxman" /></blockquote> | |||
It was later reported that the American flag painting was copied without attribution from a stock image taken from ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coscarelli |first=Joe |date=January 24, 2014 |title=George Zimmerman Can't Even Paint Without Getting in Trouble |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/01/george-zimmerman-painting-ap-ceast-desist.html?mid=google |access-date=January 25, 2014 |website=]}}</ref> | |||
In January 2014, the ] and a Jacksonville, Florida photographer Rick Wilson demanded that Zimmerman halt the sale of one of his paintings because the news agency asserted it directly copied a photo owned by the AP. The photo and painting identically show Jacksonville-based prosecutor Angela Corey (whose office prosecuted Zimmerman for the shooting death of Martin) holding her thumb and fingers together. Zimmerman apparently made up the quote that he added to the painting: "I have this much respect for the American judicial system." The controversy was similar to that arising from the use of an AP photo by ] in his composition of the ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 24, 2014 |title=AP says Zimmerman painting is copy of AP photo |work=] |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/24/ap-zimmerman-painting-copy/4843775/ |access-date=July 17, 2014}}</ref> Led by attorney ], the cease and desist halted the sale of this and other paintings by Zimmerman. | |||
], by George Zimmerman]] | |||
In August 2015, Zimmerman began selling a limited number of prints of a painting of the Confederate battle flag in conjunction with gun seller Andy Hallinan of Florida Gun Supply, in ]. Hallinan is known for saying that Muslims were not welcome at his store, and that it was "Muslim free". Michael Walsh of ] observed, "Zimmerman's latest painting brings together three highly controversial topics with which the nation is dealing: the deaths of young black men, the Confederate battle flag and discrimination against American Muslims."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Michael |date=August 18, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman paints Confederate battle flag to raise money for 'Muslim-free' gun store |url=https://news.yahoo.com/george-zimmerman-paints-confederate-battle-flag-to-raise-money-for--muslim-free--gun-store-171253005.html |access-date=August 18, 2015 |website=]}}</ref> | |||
Andrew Russeth of the '']'' appraised Zimmerman's work as likened to ].<ref name="waxman" /> Jason Edward, a contributing editor at '']'', referred to the paintings as "very primitive, the sort of thing an art critic wouldn't look at twice."<ref name="waxman" /> ], an art critic for the '']'', has referred to Zimmerman's artistic endeavors as constituting "]".<ref name="waxman" /> | |||
=== Twitter scandals === | |||
In late August 2015, controversy centering on Zimmerman arose when his ] profile picture of a ] "backed by an American flag" (in his words) became better-known. Frequently criticized posts of his from August included one in which Zimmerman called Obama an "ignorant baboon";<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mazza |first=Ed |date=August 28, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman Calls President Obama An 'Ignorant Baboon' |work=The Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/george-zimmerman-barack-obama_55dfc9dee4b0aec9f352cb07 |access-date=August 28, 2015}}</ref> one in which he posted an image of Vester Lee Flanagan, an African-American former news reporter who ], and wrote, "If Obama had a son..."; and another in which Zimmerman typed, in response to people who wanted him killed, that the United States understands "how it ended for the last moron that hit me" (in reference to ]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sutton |first=Scott |date=August 27, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman slams 'baboon' Obama after Virginia shooting |url=http://national.suntimes.com/national-world-news/7/72/1721419/george-zimmerman-slams-baboon-obama-virginia-shooting/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829213855/http://national.suntimes.com/national-world-news/7/72/1721419/george-zimmerman-slams-baboon-obama-virginia-shooting/ |archive-date=August 29, 2015 |access-date=August 28, 2015 |publisher=Sun Times National}}</ref> | |||
In September 2015, Zimmerman retweeted a photo of Martin's slain body posted by another Twitter user, who had the caption: "Z-Man is a one man army". Several days later, Zimmerman posted a letter saying that the photo in the original tweet was marked as "sensitive" and was blocked, so he retweeted it because of the text message without seeing the photo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman Tweets Photo Of Trayvon Martin's Body |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/george-zimmerman-tweets-trayvon-martins-body_560965b1e4b0dd85030846e5 |access-date=December 7, 2015 |website=The Huffington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=George Zimmerman says he retweeted photo of Trayvon Martin's body by accident |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/gone-viral/os-george-zimmerman-twitter-20151006-post.html |access-date=December 7, 2015 |website=OrlandoSentinel.com|date=October 6, 2015 }}</ref> | |||
In December 2015, Zimmerman tweeted two photos of a topless woman he claimed was his ex-girlfriend, and accused her of cheating and of the theft of his firearm and money. He included her phone number and e-mail address on his tweet. Less than two hours later, Zimmerman's ] by its administration, according to their policy against posting another person's private and confidential information, including e-mail addresses, phone numbers and familiar photos.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 4, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman's Horrific Twitter Is Gone, And It Won't Be Missed |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/george-zimmerman-tweets_5661ef01e4b079b2818e8fbd |access-date=December 7, 2015 |website=The Huffington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 3, 2015 |title=George Zimmerman suspended from Twitter after posting alleged ex's nudes |url=http://www.dailydot.com/politics/george-zimmerman-ex-nudes-revenge-porn/?tw=dd |access-date=December 7, 2015 |website=The Daily Dot}}</ref> Zimmerman's tweet included a statement against Muslims.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 18, 2017 |title=Zimmerman Posts Naked Pic of Girlfriend on Twitter, Claims She Slept With 'Dirty Muslim' |url=http://www.mediaite.com/online/george-zimmerman-posts-naked-pic-of-girlfriend-on-twitter-claims-she-slept-with-dirty-muslim/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118183246/http://www.mediaite.com/online/george-zimmerman-posts-naked-pic-of-girlfriend-on-twitter-claims-she-slept-with-dirty-muslim/ |archive-date=November 18, 2017 |access-date=April 24, 2023 |website=]}}</ref> | |||
=== Gun sale === | |||
On May 11, 2016, Zimmerman posted what was planned to be the auction of the firearm he used to shoot Martin. The post, in which Zimmerman wrote that the gun was "an American Firearm icon", attracted controversy. Zimmerman subsequently explained that the Justice Department had recently returned the weapon to him. He said that he had the right as owner to sell it.<ref name="GunCNN" /> Zimmerman said the proceeds of the weapon would go to combating the violence against police officers by members of the ] movement as well as "ensure the demise of ]'s persecution career and ] anti-firearm rhetoric".<ref name="adn.com">{{Cite news |date=May 12, 2016 |title=Listing for gun that George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin dropped from auction site |publisher=adn.com |url=https://www.adn.com/article/20160512/george-zimmerman-auction-gun-he-used-kill-trayvon-martin}}</ref> After selling the weapon, Zimmerman said that he had chosen to sell it directly as a result of Clinton "stumping around for a false campaign for the Trayvon Martin Foundation" and accused her of lying about the events of the shooting.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 2016 |title=George Zimmerman Explains His Rationale for Auctioning Pistol That Killed Trayvon Martin |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-explains-rationale-auctioning-pistol-killed-trayvon/story?id=39330161}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 2016 |title=George Zimmerman says that he will use $250G from his gun auction to fund conservative causes |work=New York Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/george-zimmerman-netted-250-000-gun-auction-article-1.2647713}}</ref> | |||
Though the auction was set to take place May 12, the weapon listing was removed before the auction was scheduled to begin.<ref name="GunCNN">{{Cite web |last1=Ellis |first1=Faith |last2=Karimi |first2=Ralph |date=May 12, 2016 |title=2nd auction website refuses to sell gun purportedly used to kill Trayvon Martin |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/12/us/george-zimmerman-gun-auction/index.html |access-date=April 24, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The original auction site, ], released a statement stating that they wanted no part in the listing or any of the publicity related to it. Zimmerman reposted the firearm on another site, United Gun Group. Within minutes, the site went down because of the intense traffic prompted by the listing.<ref name="gunrepost">{{Cite news |last=Stanglin |first=Doug |date=May 12, 2016 |title=George Zimmerman's auction of Trayvon Martin gun back on |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/12/george-zimmerman-auctions-gun-used-trayvon-martin-killing/84271998/ |access-date=May 12, 2016}}</ref> As bidding proceeded, purported bidders began using fake names such as "]" and "]" to place large bids on the weapon, which were interpreted as a joke.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 13, 2016 |title=Bids in George Zimmerman gun auction up to $65M |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/05/13/bids-george-zimmerman-gun-auction-top-50m/84319096/}}</ref> ] expressed genuine interest so that he could either destroy the firearm or place it in a museum.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Espinoza |first=Joshua |date=May 13, 2016 |title=Martin Shkreli Wants to Buy the Gun George Zimmerman Used to Kill Trayvon Martin |publisher=complex.com |url=http://www.complex.com/life/2016/05/martin-shkreli-george-zimmerman-gun-trayvon-martin}}</ref> Moderators on the bidding sites caught additional scam actions.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 18, 2016 |title=George Zimmerman: Gun auction winner to be notified 'immediately' |work=Orlando Sentinel |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/os-george-zimmerman-gun-auction-live-20160517-story.html}}</ref> On May 20, Zimmerman said he had accepted a bid of $250,000 for the weapon.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 21, 2016 |title=Zimmerman reportedly sells gun that killed Trayvon Martin |work=CBS News |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-zimmerman-sells-gun-kill-florida-teen-trayvon-martin/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 20, 2016 |title=George Zimmerman sells gun that killed Trayvon Martin for $250K |publisher=ktnv.com |url=http://www.ktnv.com/video/news/george-zimmerman-sells-gun-that-killed-trayvon-martin-for-250000}}</ref> | |||
=== Bar incident and alleged use of racist slur === | |||
On November 11, 2016, it was reported that Zimmerman had been kicked out of a bar in Central Florida. A deputy had been called to the bar in order to investigate a claim of battery involving a female friend of Zimmerman, and was reviewing surveillance footage with the manager when Zimmerman began yelling at a waitress. According to the manager, this was one of several incidents started by Zimmerman, and that he wanted him removed for trespassing. The female employee told the police that she had attempted to collect the group's bill, before Zimmerman snatched the credit card from her hand and began yelling at her. The deputies stated that before Zimmerman left, he told the manager "I didn't know you were a ] lover."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-11 |title=George Zimmerman used racial slur in bar, police say - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-zimmerman-used-racial-slur-in-bar-police-say/ |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mathis-Lilley |first=Ben |date=2016-11-11 |title=Guess Who’s Back? George Zimmerman, Getting Kicked Out of a Bar for Using the N-Word |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/11/george-zimmerman-kicked-out-of-bar-n-word-used.html |access-date=2024-08-03 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sentinel |first=Rene Stutzman {{!}} Orlando |date=2016-11-10 |title=Deputy: George Zimmerman used racial slur, insisted that black man ‘hit’ him |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2016/11/10/deputy-george-zimmerman-used-racial-slur-insisted-that-black-man-hit-him/ |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> It was reported that Zimmerman's friends had also used racist slurs against other patrons. Zimmerman also claimed that Floyd L. Narcisse, a 38-year old black pastor, had hit him on the shoulder twice, although surveillance video and witness reports showed Narcisse tapping his shoulder in an attempt to speak with Zimmerman. The deputy then tried to get Zimmerman to fill out a sworn voluntary form, with Zimmerman then complaining about the officer and writing "I want to press charges. The narrative on the front is true and correct. Officer Nickell is an incompetent officer under qualified to flip burgers," and told the officer that he would sue the Seminole County Sheriff's office. | |||
===Lawsuits=== | |||
On December 4, 2019, Zimmerman sued the Martin family and others involved in the trial for $100 million on grounds of false evidence and abuse of process.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siemaszko |first=Corky |date=December 4, 2019 |title=George Zimmerman sues Trayvon Martin's family for $100 million in damages |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/george-zimmerman-sues-trayvon-martin-s-family-100-million-damages-n1095916 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |website=]}}</ref> The suit was dismissed by a judge in February 2022, who found no evidence to support any of Zimmerman's claims.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Jax |date=February 14, 2022 |title=Judge Tosses George Zimmerman's Lawsuit Against Trayvon Martin's Parents, Others |url=https://news.yahoo.com/judge-tosses-george-zimmerman-lawsuit-231851777.html |access-date=February 27, 2022 |website=]}}</ref> On February 18, 2020, Zimmerman filed a defamation lawsuit for $265 million against ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=February 19, 2020 |title=George Zimmerman sues Warren and Buttigieg for $265 million over 'defamatory' Travyon Martin tweets |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/19/21144670/george-zimmerman-lawsuit-warren-buttigieg-travyon-martin-defamation-tweets |access-date=February 27, 2022 |website=]}}</ref> The suit was dismissed in February 2021, the judge said Zimmerman "failed to sufficiently allege an essential element of defamation."<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2021 |title=George Zimmerman |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/george-zimmerman/ |access-date=February 27, 2022 |website=Courthouse News Service}}</ref> | |||
== Popular culture == | |||
Zimmerman was satirized in the '']'' episode "]", which premiered on ] in the United States on October 9, 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 9, 2013 |title=World War Zimmerman (Season 17, Episode 3) – Full Episode Player |url=https://southpark.cc.com/episodes/mbk94a/south-park-world-war-zimmerman-season-17-ep-3 |access-date=January 31, 2014 |publisher=South Park Studios}}</ref> It parodies '']'' and the George Zimmerman murder trials. | |||
In 2013, ] included Zimmerman as a potential ] presidential candidate in an ] poll testing what person the state would support in the ]. Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, explained in an email that his firm had included Zimmerman because of his popularity among conservatives and curiosity as to "how he would do." In the survey, Zimmerman received 2% of support among Alaskans.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 6, 2013 |title=George Zimmerman For President? Public Policy Polling Offers Alaska Republicans Controversial Choice |work=Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/george-zimmerman-2016-poll_n_3713943.html}}</ref> | |||
== References == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
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| NAME = Zimmerman, George | |||
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American man | |||
| DATE OF BIRTH = 5 October 1983 | |||
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Manassas, Virginia | |||
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Latest revision as of 19:09, 23 November 2024
American neighborhood watch coordinator who shot and killed Trayvon Martin For other people named George Zimmerman, see George Zimmerman (disambiguation).
George Zimmerman | |
---|---|
Born | George Michael Zimmerman (1983-10-05) October 5, 1983 (age 41) Manassas, Virginia, U.S. |
Alma mater |
|
Occupation | Insurance underwriter |
Known for | Fatally shooting Trayvon Martin |
Spouse |
Shellie Nicole Dean
(m. 2007; div. 2013) |
George Michael Zimmerman (born October 5, 1983) is an American man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, 2012. On July 13, 2013, he was acquitted of second-degree murder in Florida v. George Zimmerman. After his acquittal, Zimmerman was the target of a shooting. The perpetrator was convicted of attempted murder.
Background
George Michael Zimmerman was born on October 5, 1983, in Manassas, Virginia. He is the third of four children, and his siblings include a brother, Robert Jr., and two sisters, Grace and Dawn. His mother, Gladys Cristina (née Mesa) Zimmerman, was born in Peru. His maternal great-grandfather was of Afro-Peruvian descent. His father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., is a U.S. Army veteran with a military career of 22 years, first as an Army sergeant and then 10 years at the Department of Defense. Before retiring to Florida in 2002, Zimmerman Sr. had served as a magistrate in Fairfax County's 19th Judicial District.
Zimmerman identifies as Hispanic on voter registration forms. Zimmerman's family was known for being devoutly religious. He was raised as a Catholic and served as an altar boy from age 7 to 17. Zimmerman attended All Saints Catholic School in Manassas before going to public high school. At age 14, Zimmerman joined an after-school Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program because he had wanted to become a Marine. When Zimmerman was 15 years old, he held three part-time jobs on nights and weekends to save up for a car. Zimmerman graduated from Osbourn High School in 2001.
According to the Seminole County voter records, Zimmerman registered as a Democrat in 2002. According to his brother Robert, Zimmerman voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Zimmerman later became a critic of Obama.
Move to Florida
After graduating from high school, Zimmerman moved to Lake Mary, Florida, a suburb of Orlando, where he was employed by an insurance agency. Zimmerman took classes at night to obtain a license to sell insurance. It was during this time when he became friends with Lee Ann Benjamin, a real estate agent, and her husband John Donnelly, a Sanford attorney. Benjamin and Donnelly would both testify on his behalf at his trial in the death of Martin. According to Donnelly, in 2004 Zimmerman and an African-American friend opened a satellite office of Allstate Insurance, which failed a year later.
In July 2005, Zimmerman was arrested after allegedly assaulting an undercover police officer who was attempting to arrest a friend of his at a bar. The charges were dropped after Zimmerman agreed to enter an alcohol education program. A month later in August, Zimmerman's former fiancée filed a restraining order against him, citing domestic violence as the cause.
Move to the Retreat at Twin Lakes
Zimmerman married Shellie Dean, a licensed cosmetologist, in 2007. Two years later, they rented a townhouse in the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman had previously been employed at a car dealership and a mortgage audit firm. Zimmerman enrolled in Seminole State College in 2009 and was working on an associate degree in criminal justice. In December 2011 he was allowed to participate in a school graduation ceremony, although he was a course credit shy of his degree. He was completing that credit at the time of the shooting. Zimmerman was employed as an insurance underwriter.
In early 2011, Zimmerman participated in a citizen forum at the Sanford City Hall to protest against the beating of a black homeless man by the son of a white Sanford police officer. During the meeting, Zimmerman claimed he witnessed "disgusting behavior" while participating in a ride-along program with local police; however, the police department said later that it did not know when, if ever, Zimmerman was in that program.
Trayvon Martin shooting and trial
Main articles: Killing of Trayvon Martin and Trial of George ZimmermanOn February 26, 2012, Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old African-American high school student Trayvon Martin in The Retreat at Twin Lakes community in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch coordinator in his gated community; Martin was temporarily staying there at the time. The Twin Lakes Neighborhood Watch program was not registered with the National Neighborhood Watch Program, but was administered by the local police department. Following an earlier call from Zimmerman, police arrived within two minutes of a gunshot during an altercation in which Zimmerman fatally shot Martin, who did not possess any weapons. Zimmerman was subsequently taken into custody, treated for head injuries, and questioned for five hours.
The police chief said that Zimmerman was released because there was no evidence to refute Zimmerman's claim of having acted in self-defense. Under Florida's stand-your-ground statute, the police were prohibited by law from making an arrest. The police chief said that Zimmerman had a right to defend himself with lethal force. As news of the case spread, thousands of protesters across the United States called for Zimmerman's arrest and a full investigation. Six weeks after the shooting, amid widespread, intense, and in some cases misleading media coverage, Zimmerman was charged with murder by a special prosecutor appointed by Governor Rick Scott.
Zimmerman's trial began on June 10, 2013, in Sanford. On July 13, a jury acquitted Zimmerman of the charges of second degree murder and manslaughter. For three years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigated Zimmerman on civil rights charges. In February 2015, the DOJ concluded there was not sufficient evidence that Zimmerman intentionally violated the civil rights of Martin, saying the Zimmerman case did not meet the "high standard" for a federal hate crime prosecution.
After DOJ said it would not charge him with a hate crime, Zimmerman said he felt free to speak his opinion "without fear of retaliation". Zimmerman criticized the government and President Obama. He believed Obama inflamed racial tensions. "He by far overstretched, overreached, even broke the law in certain aspects to where you have an innocent American being prosecuted by the federal government," Zimmerman said.
According to Zimmerman's brother Robert Jr. in 2014, in the year following the trial, Zimmerman was both homeless and jobless. Robert Jr. said that, while he believed his brother's "state of mind" was better, Zimmerman was "a very traumatized person because he has had his liberty taken away from him".
Between the shooting of Trayvon Martin and the trial, Zimmerman gained 100 to 125 pounds (45–57 kg) in about a 16-month period. He weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg) at the trial. His weight was discussed by Fox News and similar media with speculation as to how it might affect the jury's perceptions.
Life after the trial
Car accident rescue
On July 17, 2013, four days after the trial verdict, Zimmerman and another man helped rescue a family of four from their vehicle after a single-car accident in Sanford.
Domestic violence arrests
In 2013, Zimmerman's estranged wife called 911 to report that Zimmerman had assaulted her father and was threatening her with a gun. Zimmerman was not charged over the incident. In November of that same year, Zimmerman was charged with felony aggravated assault after he allegedly pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend during a domestic violence incident. The case was later dropped. In January 2015, Zimmerman was again charged with domestic assault after allegedly throwing a wine bottle at a different girlfriend. Again the charges were later dropped.
Shooting by Matthew Apperson
On September 9, 2014, Zimmerman was named by police in a road rage incident in which another driver, later named by police as Matthew Apperson, claimed that Zimmerman followed and threatened him. Zimmerman later claimed in testimony that Apperson approached him over a rear tire leaking air, which Zimmerman was already aware of. He had explained this to Apperson before Apperson asked if Zimmerman knew he was "wrong for killing that little black boy". Zimmerman lost Apperson after the two stopped at a gas station and Zimmerman drove off.
On May 11, 2015, Apperson shot at Zimmerman while the two were driving in separate cars on a street in Lake Mary. Zimmerman was grazed by glass and metal shards when the bullet broke through his passenger-side window and was stopped by the metal window frame, causing minor facial injuries from flying glass and debris. Zimmerman flagged down a police officer and was taken to the hospital. Apperson maintained that Zimmerman was the aggressor and that Apperson acted in self-defense. Zimmerman also had a gun with him at the time of the incident, but Zimmerman's attorney said that "George absolutely denies having shown it, waved, displayed, pointed it." A Lake Mary police spokesperson stated that "the investigation has proven that George Zimmerman was not the shooter."
On May 15, 2015, Apperson was jailed in Sanford, Florida with a bond of $35,000. While free on bond, Apperson was accused, convicted and jailed for disorderly conduct, which revoked his bond. Lake Mary PD "learned that Apperson has exhibited unusual behaviors in which he had recently been admitted to a mental institution. It appears that Apperson has a fixation on Zimmerman and has displayed some signs of paranoia, anxiety, and bipolar disorder."
On September 22, 2015, a judge ruled Apperson would stand trial for second-degree attempted murder along with one count of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. Apperson was convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault with a firearm on September 16, 2016. On October 17, 2016, Apperson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the charge of attempted second-degree murder. He was also given a 15-year concurrent sentence for aggravated assault stemming from the same incident.
Paintings
In December 2013, Zimmerman began selling paintings he had made. His first painting, of an American flag, sold for $100,099.99 on eBay in late December.
On the auction page for the painting, Zimmerman wrote:
Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself. I found a creative way to express myself, my emotions, and the symbols that represent my experiences. My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet, and allows me to remain indoors :-)
I hope you enjoy owning this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it. Your friend, George Zimmerman.
It was later reported that the American flag painting was copied without attribution from a stock image taken from Shutterstock.
In January 2014, the Associated Press and a Jacksonville, Florida photographer Rick Wilson demanded that Zimmerman halt the sale of one of his paintings because the news agency asserted it directly copied a photo owned by the AP. The photo and painting identically show Jacksonville-based prosecutor Angela Corey (whose office prosecuted Zimmerman for the shooting death of Martin) holding her thumb and fingers together. Zimmerman apparently made up the quote that he added to the painting: "I have this much respect for the American judicial system." The controversy was similar to that arising from the use of an AP photo by Shepard Fairey in his composition of the Barack Obama "Hope" poster. Led by attorney John Michael Phillips, the cease and desist halted the sale of this and other paintings by Zimmerman.
In August 2015, Zimmerman began selling a limited number of prints of a painting of the Confederate battle flag in conjunction with gun seller Andy Hallinan of Florida Gun Supply, in Inverness, Florida. Hallinan is known for saying that Muslims were not welcome at his store, and that it was "Muslim free". Michael Walsh of Yahoo! News observed, "Zimmerman's latest painting brings together three highly controversial topics with which the nation is dealing: the deaths of young black men, the Confederate battle flag and discrimination against American Muslims."
Andrew Russeth of the New York Observer appraised Zimmerman's work as likened to paint by number. Jason Edward, a contributing editor at Art+Auction, referred to the paintings as "very primitive, the sort of thing an art critic wouldn't look at twice." Christian Viveros-Fauné, an art critic for the Village Voice, has referred to Zimmerman's artistic endeavors as constituting "murderabilia".
Twitter scandals
In late August 2015, controversy centering on Zimmerman arose when his Twitter profile picture of a Confederate flag "backed by an American flag" (in his words) became better-known. Frequently criticized posts of his from August included one in which Zimmerman called Obama an "ignorant baboon"; one in which he posted an image of Vester Lee Flanagan, an African-American former news reporter who shot and killed two ex-coworkers during a live broadcast, and wrote, "If Obama had a son..."; and another in which Zimmerman typed, in response to people who wanted him killed, that the United States understands "how it ended for the last moron that hit me" (in reference to Trayvon Martin).
In September 2015, Zimmerman retweeted a photo of Martin's slain body posted by another Twitter user, who had the caption: "Z-Man is a one man army". Several days later, Zimmerman posted a letter saying that the photo in the original tweet was marked as "sensitive" and was blocked, so he retweeted it because of the text message without seeing the photo.
In December 2015, Zimmerman tweeted two photos of a topless woman he claimed was his ex-girlfriend, and accused her of cheating and of the theft of his firearm and money. He included her phone number and e-mail address on his tweet. Less than two hours later, Zimmerman's Twitter account was suspended by its administration, according to their policy against posting another person's private and confidential information, including e-mail addresses, phone numbers and familiar photos. Zimmerman's tweet included a statement against Muslims.
Gun sale
On May 11, 2016, Zimmerman posted what was planned to be the auction of the firearm he used to shoot Martin. The post, in which Zimmerman wrote that the gun was "an American Firearm icon", attracted controversy. Zimmerman subsequently explained that the Justice Department had recently returned the weapon to him. He said that he had the right as owner to sell it. Zimmerman said the proceeds of the weapon would go to combating the violence against police officers by members of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as "ensure the demise of Angela Corey's persecution career and Hillary Clinton's anti-firearm rhetoric". After selling the weapon, Zimmerman said that he had chosen to sell it directly as a result of Clinton "stumping around for a false campaign for the Trayvon Martin Foundation" and accused her of lying about the events of the shooting.
Though the auction was set to take place May 12, the weapon listing was removed before the auction was scheduled to begin. The original auction site, GunBroker.com, released a statement stating that they wanted no part in the listing or any of the publicity related to it. Zimmerman reposted the firearm on another site, United Gun Group. Within minutes, the site went down because of the intense traffic prompted by the listing. As bidding proceeded, purported bidders began using fake names such as "Donald Trump" and "Tamir Rice" to place large bids on the weapon, which were interpreted as a joke. Martin Shkreli expressed genuine interest so that he could either destroy the firearm or place it in a museum. Moderators on the bidding sites caught additional scam actions. On May 20, Zimmerman said he had accepted a bid of $250,000 for the weapon.
Bar incident and alleged use of racist slur
On November 11, 2016, it was reported that Zimmerman had been kicked out of a bar in Central Florida. A deputy had been called to the bar in order to investigate a claim of battery involving a female friend of Zimmerman, and was reviewing surveillance footage with the manager when Zimmerman began yelling at a waitress. According to the manager, this was one of several incidents started by Zimmerman, and that he wanted him removed for trespassing. The female employee told the police that she had attempted to collect the group's bill, before Zimmerman snatched the credit card from her hand and began yelling at her. The deputies stated that before Zimmerman left, he told the manager "I didn't know you were a nigger lover." It was reported that Zimmerman's friends had also used racist slurs against other patrons. Zimmerman also claimed that Floyd L. Narcisse, a 38-year old black pastor, had hit him on the shoulder twice, although surveillance video and witness reports showed Narcisse tapping his shoulder in an attempt to speak with Zimmerman. The deputy then tried to get Zimmerman to fill out a sworn voluntary form, with Zimmerman then complaining about the officer and writing "I want to press charges. The narrative on the front is true and correct. Officer Nickell is an incompetent officer under qualified to flip burgers," and told the officer that he would sue the Seminole County Sheriff's office.
Lawsuits
On December 4, 2019, Zimmerman sued the Martin family and others involved in the trial for $100 million on grounds of false evidence and abuse of process. The suit was dismissed by a judge in February 2022, who found no evidence to support any of Zimmerman's claims. On February 18, 2020, Zimmerman filed a defamation lawsuit for $265 million against Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren. The suit was dismissed in February 2021, the judge said Zimmerman "failed to sufficiently allege an essential element of defamation."
Popular culture
Zimmerman was satirized in the South Park episode "World War Zimmerman", which premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on October 9, 2013. It parodies World War Z and the George Zimmerman murder trials.
In 2013, Public Policy Polling included Zimmerman as a potential Republican Party presidential candidate in an Alaska poll testing what person the state would support in the 2016 presidential election. Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, explained in an email that his firm had included Zimmerman because of his popularity among conservatives and curiosity as to "how he would do." In the survey, Zimmerman received 2% of support among Alaskans.
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