George Zimmerman, the man who fatally shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012, was allegedly punched in the face at a Florida restaurant, after witnesses accused him of bragging about the shooting.
The altercation began after Zimmerman complimented a man on his confederate flag tattoos, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The reportedly man asked him, “Aren’t you that guy,” as Zimmerman started explaining that he shot Martin in self-defence.
When Zimmerman didn’t leave, the man, who appeared to be drunk, allegedly punched him in the face, breaking his glasses, according to the Sentinel’s report.
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According to the Sentinel, Zimmerman told 911 operators the man who punched him threatened to kill him.
“He told me he was going to kill me,” Zimmerman reportedly told a dispatcher. “He told me he would shoot me.”
The unidentified man left the scene and has yet to be located by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Zimmerman fatally shot 17-year-old Martin in February 2012 during a confrontation inside a gated community outside of Orlando, Florida. Martin, who was black, was unarmed when he was killed. Zimmerman, who is white, maintains that he acted in self-defence. The shooting sparked heated protests and a national debate about race relations now known as the Black Lives Matter movement.
He was acquitted of second-degree murder by a state jury in July 2013; however, Martin’s family turned to a federal investigation in hopes that he would be held accountable for the shooting. In 2015, the U.S. federal government says there was insufficient evidence to pursue civil rights charges against Zimmerman.
Zimmerman has been involved in many altercations since the now infamous shooting.
READ MORE: A list of George Zimmerman’s controversies since the Trayvon Martin shooting
In November 2013, he was arrested on domestic violence-related charges of aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief after his girlfriend claimed he choked her. The case was later dropped.
Then, in May 2015, Zimmerman suffered minor injuries after a man named Matthew Apperson fired shots at his vehicle.
In August 2015, he also stirred up controversy by partnering with a Florida gun shop to sell prints of his painting of the Confederate flag – something many people associate with racial hatred.
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