Man Who Shot at George Zimmerman Gets 20 Years

SANFORD, FL — The man convicted of trying to kill George Zimmerman will now face 20 years in prison. Matthew Apperson was found guilty last month on three charges related to the May 11, 2015, shooting in Lake Mary.

A Seminole County jury found Apperson guilty on Sept. 16, 2016, on all three charges brought forward in the case: attempted second-degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Seminole County Judge Debra S. Nelson set Apperson's sentencing for 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 17. She ultimately handed down the minimum sentence allowed by the state on such charges, 20 years, several media outlets have reported.

The shooting that led to Apperson’s conviction occurred in Lake Mary, just east of Interstate 4. Apperson was found guilty of firing a single shot at Zimmerman’s truck. That shot caused glass to shatter, ultimately leaving Zimmerman with minor injuries.

Zimmerman is the former Sanford neighborhood watch captain who fired the shot that killed Trayvon Martin, 17, in 2012. Martin was unarmed at the time.

The death of the unarmed, black teenager led to second-degree murder charges for Zimmerman. His 2013 acquittal sparked racial unrest in Florida and across the country.

Zimmerman has been in and out of the news since his acquittal. At one point, he blamed President Barack Obama for racial tensions that erupted following Martin’s death. He was also implicated in a road rage incident and had domestic violence allegations levied against him that were subsequently dropped.

Federal civil rights charges in the 17-year-old’s death loomed over Zimmerman for a while after the acquittal. The U.S. Justice Department cited “insufficient evidence” for its February 2015 decision against pursuing further action.

Zimmerman sparked renewed criticism and outrage when he auctioned off the gun he used to shoot Martin. His partnership last year with the owner of a gun shop who tried to declare his store a "Muslim-free zone" also raised eyebrows. That partnership involved the sale of Confederate flag prints created from a painting Zimmerman made. Money raised was reportedly being split between the shop's owner and Zimmerman to offset legal costs, among other expenses.

Booking photo of Matthew Apperson courtesy of the Seminole County Jail