Police were called in to question George Zimmerman on Monday for allegedly threatening his wife Shellie Zimmerman, and her father, with a gun. Police in Lake Mary, Florida say they were called around 2:30 p.m. local time to the home of Shellie Zimmerman’s parents, David and Machelle Dean, WKMG Orlando reports.
Lake Mary Police Chief Steve Bracknell told WKMG that Shellie Zimmerman called 911 saying that her husband, the infamous murderer of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, had a gun and was making threats. Zimmerman was released from investigative detention after police questioned him about the incident.
“He’s in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying ‘step closer’ and he’s just threatening all of us,” Shellie said in the 911 call. Ms. Zimmerman also said that her husband was “trying to shut the garage door” on her, and that he punched her father in the nose.
“My dad has a mark on the nose. I saw his glasses were on the floor,” Zimmerman continued. “He then accosted my father then took my iPad out of my hands. He then smashed it and cut it with a pocketknife.” Ms. Zimmerman said a Lake Mary city worker, who was across the street at the time of the incident, witnessed everything.
Later, Shellie changed her story to say that she never saw a firearm, according to Chief Bracknell. “Domestic violence can’t be invoked because she has changed her story and says she didn’t see a firearm,” Bracknell said.
George’s attorney Mark O’Mara said that his client didn’t threaten anyone with a gun, and that the incident was simply a result of “bubbled” over emotions related to Shellie’s recent divorce filing and decision to move. He told WKMG that Zimmerman did have a gun, but that it “was holstered under his shirt and stayed there the whole time.”
Zimmerman is still legally allowed to carry a weapon.
The incident comes only days after Shellie filed for divorce in Seminole County Florida. The couple’s relationship troubles evidently began even before her husband murdered Martin in February of last year. In an interview with ABC News last month, Shellie told investigative journalist Christi O’Connor that the couple had gotten into an argument on the night before Trayvon Martin was murdered.
According to Shellie, because of the argument, she had gone to stay with her father on the night that her husband killed Martin. During the interview, O’Connor asked Shellie, “Does George have a temper?” and “How volatile did it get the evening before?” to which Shellie replied, “Not going to answer that.”
She did, however, tell O’Connor that she felt “very much alone” at her court hearing last month when she pleaded guilty to perjury and George was not there to support her.
And rightfully so, since she stood by her man during his murder trial and even lied before the court in attempt to cover up the money he’d made from his PayPal account on his website, “therealgeorgezimmerman.com,” which he created after killing an unarmed 17-year-old in a fit of paranoia and seriously misguided vigilantism.
Shellie was sentenced to 12 months’ probation with no jail time, on August 28, for lying about donations made to her husband’s website, which were purportedly for his legal defense and “living expenses.” Ms. Zimmerman told a judge that she and her husband had no money to help with his legal defense, despite the fact that he raised at least $135,000 from donations to his website.
Recorded jail phone calls showed that the Zimmermans discussed the donated money during the days before the bond hearing in which Shellie lied about its existence. Money was transferred from George’s bank account to Shellie’s, as well as his sister’s account, in the days preceding the hearing.
Shellie accepted a deal to plead guilty to the lesser offense of misdemeanor perjury, avoiding the original charge of felony perjury against her.
Since George Zimmerman’s acquittal in July, he has reportedly visited the Florida gun manufacturing plant that manufactured the weapon he used to kill Martin, to shop for a tactical shotgun, received two speeding tickets, and, now, been detained for allegedly threatening his wife and father-in-law with a weapon.
“I don’t know what he’s capable of,” Ms. Zimmerman said in the 911 call. That is difficult to believe, as the entire country is well aware of what George Zimmerman is capable of.
Alisha is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow her on Twitter @childoftheearth.
