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Florida Man Gets 20 Years for Shooting at George Zimmerman's Vehicle

Zimmerman said 38-year-old Matthew Apperson showed no regard for human life during the May 2015 confrontation.
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Matthew Apperson enters a Seminole County courtroom before the start of his trial on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 in Sanford, Fla. Red Huber / AP
By The Associated Press

SANFORD, Fla. — A Florida man who fired at George Zimmerman's vehicle during a road-rage confrontation has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Image:
Matthew Apperson enters a Seminole County courtroom before the start of his trial on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 in Sanford, Fla. Red Huber / AP

Zimmerman said 38-year-old Matthew Apperson showed no regard for human life during the May 2015 confrontation, and even seemed joyful because he mistakenly thought he'd killed Zimmerman, the Orlando Sentinel reported about the sentencing hearing Monday morning.

Zimmerman is the former neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of second-degree murder after fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.

Apperson was convicted by a Seminole County jury last month of attempted second-degree murder, armed aggravated assault and shooting into a vehicle. Apperson testified at trial that he acted in self-defense after Zimmerman flashed a gun. Zimmerman disputed that.

Image: George Zimmerman
George Zimmerman looks at the jury as he testifies in a Seminole County courtroom on Sept. 13, 2016, in Orlando, Fla.Red Huber / AP
The Associated Press

The Associated Press