It must be something in the air. First, Dylann Roof, the admitted murderer of nine African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, gets jumped in jail on Thursday morning. Later that evening George Zimmerman, the “acquitted murderer” of Trayvon Martin, gets punched in the face in a Sanford, Florida, restaurant. The reasons for the punch appear to be kind of confusing but you can head on over to the Orlando Sentinel to try to put the pieces together:
Zimmerman said he was ordering food at Gators Riverside Grille Sunday evening when he walked by a table with several people and complimented a man’s Confederate flag tattoos, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
The man, Joseph Whitmer, thanked him and asked, “aren’t you that guy?” Zimmerman said yes and pulled out his ID to prove who he was, a report shows.
Whitmer asked about the Trayvon Martin case and as Zimmerman started to explain that he fatally shot the unarmed teen in self-defense, another man walked up and asked, “You’re bragging about that?”
Zimmerman told the man he wasn’t but the man said “you better get the [expletive] out of here,” a report shows. Zimmerman told deputies he went back to his table where several of his friends were eating.
According to the Sentinel’s account, the guy eventually finds his way over to Zimmerman’s table and reminds him that he told him to get out. That’s when dude, as of yet unofficially unidentified, punches Zimm in the face. Zimmerman also said the guy threatened to shoot him so he called 911.
Here’s where things begin to diverge.
Several Witnesses told deputies a slightly different version about what happened. Whitmer’s wife said Zimmerman approached them while they were eating and said “Hey, I like your racist tattoos,” records show.
He then told them about killing Trayvon “to brag,” a report states.
Another witness who was at Whitmer’s table said he also asked Zimmerman to leave their table. He said he had an issue after “Zimmerman came to his table and proceeded to brag about how he was the one who killed Trayvon Martin,” an incident report states.
Wait! There’s another one for ya:
Zimmerman said he thinks the man who punched him was intoxicated.
He said he thinks the man thought he was Matthew Apperson, who was accused of shooting at Zimmerman during a road-rage confrontation in May 2015 in Lake Mary.
Zimmerman said the man told him to go away and accused him of “shooting George Zimmerman,” prompting the fight.
Last, but not least, the owner of the restaurant where it all went down has a version also. Sigh.
Head on over to the Orlando Sentinel to put the pieces together. If you can.