George Zimmerman Was Armed During Monday's Shooting, Cops Say

As details in the Monday afternoon shooting incident involving George Zimmerman continue to emerge, Lake Mary Police say they have recovered three guns from the scene.

The alleged shooter, Matthew Apperson, had a .40 caliber Glock and a .357 revolver inside his vehicle, the police department announced in a Tuesday media release. Zimmerman was also packing a Glock at the time of the shooting, police noted.

While police obtained warrants to search both Zimmerman and Apperson’s vehicles, only Apperson’s vehicle had been searched as of Tuesday afternoon. It is unclear at this time how police recovered Zimmerman’s gun.

The shooting incident happened just east of Interstate 4 around 12:45 p.m. Monday. Zimmerman suffered minor injuries during the altercation, Lake Mary Police Department spokeswoman Bianca Gillett said during a Monday press conference.

Gillett said Zimmerman flagged down a police officer shortly after the incident occurred. At the same time, a third-party 911 call came in about the shooting. A man named Matthew Apperson told police through the caller he had just been involved in a shooting, Gillett said.

See Also:

• No Arrest Yet in George Zimmerman Shooting
• George Zimmerman Blames President Obama for Racial Tensions
• Federal Charges Ruled Out in Trayvon Martin’s Death
• George Zimmerman Reality TV Show Idea Floated
• George Zimmerman Involved in Road Rage Incident, Cops Say
• George Zimmerman Protests Not Over Yet

Zimmerman, Gillett said, was not the shooter.

Zimmerman was treated and released from a local hospital following the shooting, she confirmed. Gillett did not clarify if Zimmerman was struck by a bullet, but his attorney, Don West, has been quoted in the media as saying he was hit by shattered glass.

“We have not determined how or why the incident began,” Gillett said on Monday.

As of Tuesday, it looked as if little had changed.

“Presently, both parties have retailed legal counsel and no further information is available,” the Tuesday media release stated. “The investigation is still ongoing and continues to develop.”

Attorneys for both Zimmerman and Apperson have provided conflicting accounts of the incident. West says Zimmerman was fired on for no cause while Mark NeJame, Apperson’s attorney, has stated his client was acting in self-defense.

Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in 2013. He has been in and out of the news since his acquittal, most recently blaming President Barack Obama for racial tensions that erupted following Trayvon Martin’s 2012 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 until recently. The U.S. Justice Department cited “ insufficient evidence” for its February decision against pursuing further action. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford when the 2012 shooting took place. His acquittal sparked protests across the country.

Keep up with what’s happening around town and the state by signing up for your favorite Patch daily newsletter: Bloomingdale-Riverview, Bradenton, Brandon, Carrollwood-Northdale, Clearwater, Dunedin, East Lake, Gulfport, Land O’ Lakes, Largo, Lutz, New Port Richey, New Tampa, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Beaches, Safety Harbor, Sarasota, Seminole Heights, South Tampa-Hyde Park, St. Pete, Tarpon Springs, Temple Terrace, Westchase.