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| FILE - In this file image from video, George Zimmerman smiles after a not guilty verdict was handed down in his trial at the Seminole County Courthouse, Sunday, July 14, 2013, in Sanford, Fla. Officials say Zimmerman helped rescue four people from an overturned vehicle last week, just days after he was cleared of all charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Seminole County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kim Cannaday said in a statement Monday, July 22, 2013 that deputies responding to the wreck found Zimmerman and another man had already helped the couple and their two children out of the flipped SUV. |
ORLANDO, Fla.
(AP) -- George Zimmerman helped rescue four people from an overturned
vehicle in central Florida last week, just days after he was cleared of
all charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, officials said
Monday.
Seminole County Sheriff's spokeswoman
Kim Cannaday said in a statement that deputies responding last Wednesday
afternoon to the wreck in Sanford - the Orlando suburb where Martin was
shot - found Zimmerman and another man had already helped a couple and
their two children out of a flipped SUV off the road near Interstate 4.
They were not hurt.
Zimmerman spoke with a deputy at the scene and then left, the sheriff's office statement said. He did not see the crash happen.
This
is believed to be the first time Zimmerman, 29, has been seen publicly
since his acquittal on a second-degree murder charge in the 17-year-old
Martin's death in February 2012. Zimmerman's parents and his attorneys
have said in interviews since the verdict that they fear for his safety
because of those who may not agree with it.
A message left at the office of Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara was not immediately returned Monday.
Robert
Zimmerman, Jr. on Monday posted on his Twitter account about his
brother's actions: "George saw a need, he acted. Our parents taught us
to help, never to boast. Humility is George's finest trait."
Martin's
shooting death spurred debate across the U.S. over racial profiling,
self-defense and equal justice. Protesters nationwide lashed out against
police in Sanford because it took 44 days for Zimmerman, a neighborhood
watch volunteer, to be arrested last year. Many, including Martin's
parents, said Zimmerman had racially profiled the unarmed black teen.
Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, said he acted in
self-defense during a fight with Martin.
Six
female jurors, whose names have not been released, considered nearly
three weeks of often wildly conflicting testimony over who was the
aggressor on the rainy night Martin was shot while walking through the
gated townhouse community where he was staying and where Zimmerman
lived.
The acquittal prompted rallies
nationwide in the days afterward calling for a civil rights
investigation and federal charges against Zimmerman.
It
also led to a sit-in at Florida Gov. Rick Scott's office demanding that
legislators repeal the state's stand-your-ground self-defense law. The
law, passed in 2005, generally eliminated a person's duty to retreat in
the face of a serious physical threat. At least 21 states have a
self-defense law similar to Florida's.
