LAKE MARY, Fla. (AP) — A bullet missed George Zimmerman’s head when he was involved in a shooting Monday in Florida, his attorney said, but the former neighborhood watch volunteer wasn’t seriously hurt in his latest encounter with law enforcement.
Zimmerman was sprayed with glass from his vehicle’s windshield and other debris in the Orlando suburb of Lake Mary, said his attorney Don West.
“His injuries would be considered minor,” West said. “The bullet missed his head. I think it broke a window and lodged in his vehicle.”
The Lake Mary Police Department said in a Twitter post that officers had responded to a shooting involving Zimmerman. The tweet provided no other details, and a spokeswoman didn’t return multiple phone calls.
Zimmerman was released from a hospital. He thinks he may know who is responsible for the shooting and is cooperating with authorities, West said.
Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 of fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in a case that sparked protests and national debate about race relations. The Justice Department later announced it was not bringing a civil rights case against Zimmerman.
Since then, Zimmerman has had several brushes with the law, including:
– He was charged with aggravated assault after being accused of throwing a wine bottle at an ex-girlfriend, Brittany Brunelle. The case was dropped in January after she recanted her story and refused to cooperate.
– Following another domestic confrontation, he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief after his then-girlfriend said he pointed a gun at her face during an argument, smashed her coffee table and pushed her out of the house they shared. Samantha Scheibe decided not to cooperate with detectives, and prosecutors didn’t pursue the case.
– Zimmerman was accused by his estranged wife of smashing an iPad during an argument at the home they had shared. Shellie Zimmerman initially told a dispatcher her husband had a gun, though she later said he was unarmed. No charges were filed because of a lack of evidence. The dispute occurred days after Shellie Zimmerman filed divorce papers.
– Last September, a driver said Zimmerman threatened to kill him, asking “Do you know who I am?” during a road confrontation in their vehicles. The driver decided not to pursue charges, and police officers were unable to move forward without a car tag identified or witnesses.
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Schneider reported from Orlando. Curt Anderson contributed from Miami.
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