Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images(ORLANDO, Fla.) — George Zimmerman took the stand Tuesday in a trial against Matthew Apperson, the Florida man accused of shooting at him.
Zimmerman described for the court a “a loud bang” and claimed that his “ears started ringing” when shots were fired at him.
Apperson is charged with attempted second-degree murder, and authorities say that he shot at Zimmerman during a traffic incident last year.
Zimmerman described driving in the Orlando, Florida suburb of Lake Mary when Apperson pulled behind his truck, threatened the former neighborhood watchman and then fired at him.
Apperson had a fixation on Zimmerman, according to a police report.
Zimmerman first emerged as a divisive figure in American culture after fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old in February of 2012. He was acquitted of murder in July of 2013.
The shooting of Martin, as well as the controversial decision to acquit Zimmerman, became a flashpoint in the debate about race relations in America, and served as one of the influences in the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Zimmerman has frequently provoked outrage since being acquitted of murdering Martin. In 2015, he generated headlines for retweeting an image of Martin’s body.
He received intense criticism earlier this year for auctioning off the pistol he used to shoot Martin.
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