Fla. man sentenced 20 years for shooting George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman, the man acquitted for killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012, was shot at by a man in Lake Mary, Florida. Hear the 911 call from the incident. VPC

Matthew Apperson makes a first appearance in Seminole County court at the John E Polk correctional facility, seen on a video monitor, in Sanford, Fla., on May 16, 2015.(Photo: Joshua C. Cruey, AP)

A Florida man who fired at George Zimmerman during a road-rage altercation was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday, authorities said.

Matthew Apperson, 38, was convicted by a Seminole Countyjury last month of attempted second-degree murder,armed aggravated assaultand shooting into a vehicle during a confrontation in Lake Mary, Fla., in May 2015.

Apperson told authorities he acted in self-defenseafter Zimmerman threatened him by pointing a gun at him first. Zimmerman disputed Apperson's claim, testifying that Apperson pulled up next to his pickupand shot him the bullet missing and striking the passenger side window.Zimmerman suffered minor injuries from the broken glass.

In an audio recording of a 911 call releasedby Lake Mary Police in 2015, an unidentified man told a dispatcher, "A guy just said he had to pull a gun on a guy he had to shoot at somebody." Questioned further by the dispatcher, the unidentified caller said Apperson was standing by the side of the road nearby. "He's driving an Infinity. He said it was George Zimmerman."

Janet White,Apperson's mother, pleaded withSeminole County Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson to drop the verdict, casting the blame squarely onZimmerman.

"We will hold our collective breaths to see what outrageous acts he (Zimmerman) performs next," White told the judge during the hearing,The Orlando Sentinel reported. Apperson's wife, Lisa, also accused Zimmerman of beingthe instigator of the incident, claiming her husband's innocence.

Authorities have"given George Zimmerman a golden ticket to go out and do whatever he wants to do," Lisa Apperson told the judge, according totheSentinel.

This wasn't the first timeZimmerman and Apperson were allegedly involved in an incident together. Back in September 2014, the two men reportedly shouted at each other, withApperson claiming Zimmerman threatened to kill him during a confrontation in their vehicles.Apperson who called the authorities decided not to press charges.

Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman acquitted of second-degree murder after fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012, has had several brushes with the law since his controversial acquittal. In January 2015, Zimmerman was accused of assault by his then-girlfriend, who later recanted and decided not to file charges.

In September 2013, his estranged wife, Shellie, called authorities, claiming Zimmerman punched her father and was threatening her with a gun. She did not press charges.

Two months after the incident with his wife, Zimmerman was arrested and accused of domestic violence by girlfriend Samantha Scheibe. Scheibe later dropped the charges.

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Contributing:Greg Toppo from Tysons, Va.

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Fla. man sentenced 20 years for shooting George Zimmerman

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