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George Zimmerman looks at the jury as he testifies in a Seminole County courtroom Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 in Orlando, Fla. Matthew Apperson is accused of trying to kill Zimmerman by shooting into his truck during a dispute last year.

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A Florida man, Ken Cornell, says he spoke to the man who allegedly shot at George Zimmerman's car. CBSN's Parvati Shallow and Vladimir Duthiers t...

SANFORD, Fla. -- George Zimmerman testified that he was driving to a doctors appointment when he noticed he was being pursued by a vehicle whose driver later pulled up, exchanged words and fired one gunshot at him that missed.

I heard a bang and my ears started ringing, Zimmerman, 32, told the jury in the attempted second-degree murder trial of Matthew Apperson, 37. The trial opened Tuesday in the Seminole County Courthouse.

The incident on May 11, 2015 was not the first encounter between Apperson and Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shotunarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Apperson alleged in September 2014 that Zimmerman threatened him in a road-rage encounter, but did not press charges at the time.

During the later exchange, Zimmerman testified that Apperson asked whether he remembered him and said he didnt press charges earlier because I wanted to kill you myself.

Appersons attorney, Michael LaFay, said that Zimmerman was the aggressor and brandished a gun in both incidents, but prosecutor Stewart Stone said there was no way Apperson could have seen a gun through the tinted windows of Zimmermans car.

Matthew Apperson, who was arrested for allegedly shooting at George Zimmerman during a confrontation, is seen in a booking photo released Friday, May 15, 2015, by police in Lake Mary, Florida.

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Zimmerman was scheduled to testify further Tuesday afternoon.

In the Martin case, Zimmerman claimed self-defense and was acquitted of charges in the shooting, a verdict that sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies as Hispanic.

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George Zimmerman testifies Matthew Apperson shot at him in ...

Zimmerman testifies in Fla. trial of man who fired shot at him

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Updated: Tuesday, September 13, 2016, 4:15 PM

SANFORD, Fla. George Zimmerman testified that he was driving to a doctor's appointment when he noticed he was being pursued by a vehicle whose driver later pulled up, exchanged words and fired one gunshot at him that missed.

"I heard a bang and my ears started ringing," Zimmerman, 32, told the jury in the attempted second-degree murder trial of Matthew Apperson, 37. The trial opened Tuesday in the Seminole County Courthouse.

The incident on May 11, 2015 was not the first encounter between Apperson and Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Apperson alleged in September 2014 that Zimmerman threatened him in a road-rage encounter, but did not press charges at the time.

During the later exchange, Zimmerman testified that Apperson asked whether he remembered him and said he didn't press charges earlier "because I wanted to kill you myself."

Zimmerman punched for bragging about killing Trayvon Martin

Apperson's attorney, Michael Lafayette, said that Zimmerman was the aggressor and brandished a gun in both incidents, but prosecutor Stewart Stone said there was no way Apperson could have seen a gun through the tinted windows of Zimmerman's car.

Zimmerman was scheduled to testify further Tuesday afternoon.

In the Martin case, Zimmerman claimed self-defense and was acquitted of charges in the shooting, a verdict that sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies as Hispanic.

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George Zimmerman looks at the jury as he testifies in a ...

The good people on Twitter got a little excited today when they saw George Zimmermans name trending on the social media platform. Zimmerman, the man who was acquitted in the 2012 slaying of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, has been a thorn in the side of Black folks since the day we learned his name. Instead of fading quietly into the background after beating a murder charge, the self-proclaimed neighborhoodwatch captainhas continued to troll Martins memory while racking up a series of run-ins with the police.

Last May he put the gun he used to kill Martin up for auction and claimed it raked in $250,000, and back in August he claimed he was punched in the face at a restaurant after another patron overheard him bragging about killing the teen. Now, a two-year-old article is being shared across social media again, reigniting another wave of disgust for Zimmerman.

Back in 2014, Zimmerman claimed he was broke, $2 million in debt, homeless, and suffering from PSTD. Faced with this bit of (super late) news, Twitter went in.

While some folks celebrated Zimmermans supposed terrible straights, others were disappointed hewasnt dead.

Though many hadhoped Zimmerman would just go away and fade into obscurity, it looks like whether he does something crazy or not, hell continue to be a part of our collective conversation.

See more here:
Spoiler Alert: George Zimmerman Is Not Dead - EBONY

George Zimmerman says hes homeless and suffering from PTSD: report George Zimmerman says his problems continue.

He told a Spanish language television station he is now homeless, battling post-traumatic stress disorder, more than $2 million in debt and lives in fear for his life.

Zimmerman opened up on the Univision television show Aqu y Ahora (Here and Now) that will air Sunday on the Spanish language station at 7 p.m.

Zimmerman also discussed his well-known struggle with 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an African-American teen who was walking in Zimmermans neighborhood in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2012.

FLA. MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER OF ZIMMERMAN

After he called the cops, the two got into a fight that ended with Martins death.

George Zimmerman says in Univision interview that hes homeless and suffering from PTSD. George Zimmerman says in Univision interview that hes homeless and suffering from PTSD. (UNIVISION) Zimmerman says the teen attacked him and threatened to kill him.

He (Martin) saw my gun and told me he would kill me, and I knew he was telling the truth. I mean, was not playing, he told the station. I asked him to stop . And the young man did not care. Continued attacking I knew he would not stop even though I knew that someone had seen (the fight) and the police are coming. He did not care.

But he didnt answer when asked if he should have waited for the cops saying that the case is under a federal Department of Justice investigation.

Zimmerman was acquitted of charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in a trial in July.

The ex-neighborhood watchman said he did not think he initially shot Martin and that it went through the side of his clothes and towards a neighbors house.

Toma Tillman, 4, came armed with a bag of sSkittles at the march protesting police handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting in Sanford, Fla. March 31, 2012.

After the bullet was fired the fight with Martin stopped immediately, he said.

Asked if he still thought he had done the right thing, he said, in my mind and between God and me I know that if I did not act the way I acted I would not be here.

He insisted his life was in danger during the fight with Martin.

When you hit your head repeatedly against the concrete, you have a broken nose, eyes full of blood and tears, youre not in the position to do much, he said.

George Zimmeran says he feared for his life when he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was acquitted of murder charges in the July trial. Zimmerman said he now lives in fear that his life is in danger. He has worn a bullet proof vest and follows a safety plan when he goes out in public. He is also $2.5 million in debt from the trial although he raised $350,000 online to pay for his defense. Of those donors he says, [To] those people I owe my freedom, because without them we could not have the experts we had, we could not have paid for the documents we [needed]. Recently he had planned to take part in a celebrity boxing match with rapper DMX but the promoter announced last week it was canceled. He is not working and lost his health insurance.

Since the trial, he has been in the news for a variety of other matters, including a speeding ticket and a police call to his home over a domestic dispute with his wife. Honestly, I [would] love to live a calm life without being in the press. Id like [to be treated like] any American citizen have a ticket or an argument [and] not have everyone aware, he said. But that thats my life and I do not understand why that is, but Im living my life as I have always lived, he said.

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George Zimmerman says hes homeless and suffering from PTSD ...

The attorney counseling George Zimmerman, who shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin as he was walking home from the store with a bag of Skittles, says if charges are filed, Zimmerman will argue that he acted in self-defense and that Florida's stand-your-ground law applies.

Attorney Craig Sonner said the public is only hearing part of the story, and when all the facts come out, it will be clear that Zimmerman acted in self defense. A grand jury is scheduled to begin hearing the case April 10.

"George Zimmerman suffered a broken nose, and had an injury to the back of his head, he was attacked by Trayvon Martin on that evening," Sonner said. "This was a case of self defense."

When asked why Zimmerman went after Martin, even though a 911 dispatcher told him not to, Sonner said: "Those are questions that will be answered."

Trayvon Martin Case: Timeline of Events

Sonner said the so-called stand-your-ground law, under which a person who feels threatened is not required to retreat and can "meet force with force" if attacked, will be applicable in the case.

Sonner insisted that Zimmerman is not a racist, pointing out that he and his wife mentored for two black children for free.

"When I asked this mother [of the mentees], who trusted [Zimmerman and his wife], and she's an African-American, if she trusted George Zimmerman, she said she did, and I asked her if there was anything that caused her to believe that she was a racist, and she said, 'Absolutely not.' And I said, went further, 'Did you ever hear him use racial slurs in any time that you'd been around him?' And she said, 'no' as well," Sonner said.

Joe Oliver, a family friend of Zimmerman's who spoke with him this weekend, told ABC News that as a volunteer community watch commander, Zimmerman had to look out for suspicious-looking people.

"There are people who have accused George of profiling, well, I would think as a watch commander you are keeping an eye out for people you don't recognize in your neighborhood," Oliver said.

"The reason why he was following this suspicious person that he saw was because the neighborhood had a rash of break-ins," he said. "George had no intention of taking anyone's life. He cried for days after."

Oliver said the headlines have taken a toll on Zimmerman, his wife, and his family.

"He's moved, they've disconnected their phone numbers, they're in hiding, they're fearful," Oliver said.

The Zimmerman family friend also denied that a word the watchman is heard blurting out on one of the 911 tapes is the racial slur, "coon." Oliver said the word he hears Zimmerman saying is "goon."

"As far as, I mean as far as George being racist, I didn't take it as a racist term. I heard 'goon' and talking to my teenage daughter, apparently goon is a term of endearment in high school these days," he said.

"He wasn't talking to Trayvon when that comment was made. He was speaking a generality in that this suspicious person was someone who he lumped in -- as always getting away -- goon, coon. I mean, the bottom line, he thought he needed to keep an eye on this individual for whatever reason," Oliver said.

Oliver said he believes the voice screaming for help on the 911 tape is Zimmerman's.

After talking with Zimmerman, Oliver says he's convinced that it came down to a final life-or-death moment: "At that point, either George or Trayvon was going to die."

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George Zimmerman's Attorney and Friend Speak ... - ABC News