Accused Zimmerman shooter faces attempted murder charge
The man accused of shooting at George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in the 2012 death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, now faces an upgraded attempted murder charge in Florida, according to media reports on Thursday.
Prosecutors upgraded the charges against Matthew Apperson to attempted second-degree murder, and also charged him on Thursday with aggravated assault with a firearm and shooting into an occupied vehicle, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Apperson had earlier been charged with aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon, as well as firing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle over accusations he shot at Zimmerman in his car in Lake Mary, Florida, an Orlando suburb, last month.
Zimmerman suffered a minor injury from flying glass after being shot at through his car window by Apperson, authorities said previously.
The incident was the latest brush with law enforcement for Zimmerman since Martin’s death. Zimmerman shot the 17-year-old in nearby Sanford in what Zimmerman said was self-defense. That slaying prompted civil rights rallies and drew international attention to Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.
