Shooter Was Fixated on George Zimmerman, Police Report Says

A Florida man charged with shooting at George Zimmerman last week had “a fixation” on the former neighborhood watch leader and had recently been admitted to a mental institution, according to a police report made public Tuesday.

The Lake Mary Police Department report said that 36-year-old Matthew Apperson had shown signs of paranoia, anxiety and bipolar disorder.

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Zimmerman told officers he had been driving in the Orlando suburb of Lake Mary last week when Apperson got behind his truck and yelled, “You remember me you fat mother f—–?” according to the report.

Apperson then yelled at Zimmerman, “You owe me your life. The only reason I didn’t press charges on you is because I wanted to kill you myself,” Zimmerman told detectives, according to the report.

Zimmerman and Apperson had a previous road-rage encounter last September, when Apperson alleged that Zimmerman had threatened him. Apperson decided not to pursue charges, and police officers were unable to move forward without a car tag identified or witnesses.

Two days later, Apperson called police to report that Zimmerman’s truck was parked near the disability-benefits office where he worked. Zimmerman told police officers he had an appointment in the same office park, and no charges were filed.

In the most recent incident, Zimmerman told officers he laughed and called Apperson a clown, and Apperson fired a gun at his car a short time later, leaving a bullet hole in his passenger-side window. Zimmerman suffered minor injuries.

Apperson gave police officers a different account. He said Zimmerman had pointed a gun at him as they were driving, so he fired at him with his revolver. A detective at the scene said he overheard Apperson say, “I hope I got him this time,” according to the police report.

Apperson was charged last Friday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery and firing a missile into an occupied conveyance. He was released over the weekend on $35,000 bond.

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