Story highlights
- There were conflicting reports as to whether George Zimmerman had a gun
- No charges will be filed against Zimmerman
- Wife had called 911, said she was "really, really scared"
- Couple is in the middle of a divorce and she had come to house to get some belongings
No charges were filed against George Zimmerman after an alleged altercation with his estranged wife and her father, Lake Mary, Florida, Police Chief Steve Bracknell said Monday.
"Shellie Zimmerman has declined prosecution (after consulting with her attorney)," Bracknell said.
Police answered a 911 call from Shellie Zimmerman on Monday afternoon during which she said George Zimmerman had threatened her and her father with a weapon. Officers detained George Zimmerman but never arrested him, police said. Detectives later came to the home to interview him.
The question of the gun became confused later when police told reporters there was no gun involved, but George Zimmerman's attorney told CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 that he believed his client had a firearm on him.
"He acted appropriately. He never took the weapon out," said Mark O'Mara, who is also a CNN legal analyst. O'Mara said he never saw the gun.
Photos: Photos: Zimmerman trial
Photos: Photos: Zimmerman trial
Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – George Zimmerman is congratulated by members of his defense team, Don West and Lorna Truett, after the not guilty verdict is read on Saturday, July 13, in Sanford, Florida. A jury of six women found him not guilty in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. View photos of the public reaction to the verdict.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – George Zimmerman's wife, Shellie Zimmerman, cries as friends and family members celebrate the verdict on July 13.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Robert Zimmerman Sr. and Gladys Zimmerman embrace after their son is found not guilty on July 13.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – George Zimmerman prepares to leave the courtroom after the not guilty verdict is read on July 13.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Zimmerman confers with his defense team on July 13, after working out the wording for a response to the jury, who had asked for clarification on the instructions regarding manslaughter. The response, crafted and agreed to by both the prosecution and defense, instructed the jury to ask their question more specifically, as the court could not engage in general discussion.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Zimmerman and his defense team stand in the courtroom as the jury arrives before starting their second day of deliberations on July 13.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Prosecutor John Guy addresses the jury with his closing rebuttal during Zimmerman's murder trial on Friday, July 12. "He shot him because he wanted to," Guy told jurors, saying that Zimmerman didn't have to shoot 17-year-old Martin.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara holds up a chart during closing arguments for the defense on Friday, July 12. "How many 'what ifs' have you heard from the state in this case?" O'Mara asked the jury. "They don't get to ask you that."
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Zimmerman, right, sits with another defense attorney, Don West, this week. West objected to a third-degree murder charge also sought by prosecutors on Thursday, July 11, the day closing arguments began. The judge ruled out that charge but said the jury could consider convicting the defendant of manslaughter.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Dr. Vincent Di Maio, a forensic pathologist and gunshot wound expert, describes Zimmerman's injuries while testifying for the defense Tuesday, July 9.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Defense attorney Mark O'Mara, right, questions forensics animation expert Daniel Schumaker, center, at the bench of Judge Debra Nelson with Assistant State Attorney Richard Mantei, left, during a July 9 hearing on the admissibility of animation created for the defense. Schumaker showed the judge and Mantei some 3-D animation on his laptop after an overhead projector didn't work.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – John Donnelly, a friend of George Zimmerman's, cries on the witness stand on Monday, July 8, in Sanford, Florida, after listening to screams on the 911 tape entered in evidence.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Sondra Osterman, a friend of Zimmerman's, listens to the 911 tape while testifying on July 8.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Mark Osterman, a friend of Zimmerman's, testifies on July 8 and describes the type of gun Zimmerman owned.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Leanne Benjamin, a friend of Zimmerman's, smiles while identifying him in court on July 8.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, takes the stand during Zimmerman's trial on Friday, July 5.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – George Zimmerman's mother, Gladys Zimmerman, listens to the 911 tape while taking the stand during his trial in Seminole County circuit court on July 5.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Martin's brother Jahvaris Fulton testifies at the Zimmerman trial in Seminole County circuit court on July 5.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Volusia and Seminole County associate medical examiner Shiping Bao testifies on July 5. Bao conducted the final autopsy on Martin and determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the chest.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Lab Analyst Anthony Gorgone testifies about DNA findings on Wednesday, July 3, in Sanford, Florida. Here, Gorgone points to a sweatshirt worn by Trayvon Martin on the night Martin was shot. Only one stain on Martin's hooded jacket yielded a partial DNA profile that matched Zimmerman's.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Gorgone points to a jacket worn by Zimmerman on the night of the shooting. Multiple stains on Zimmerman's jacket tested positive for Zimmerman's DNA. At least two stains from the jacket tested positive for a mixture of DNA that included Martin's DNA.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Firearms analyst Amy Siewert from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement answers questions from the prosecution while holding Zimmerman's gun on July 3. Siewert examined the gun and said Zimmerman had one bullet ready to fire in the chamber as well as a fully loaded magazine when the shooting occurred.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Alexis Carter, a military prosecutor, testifies during the trial on July 3. Carter taught a criminal litigation class that Zimmerman completed, and testified that the class included extensive coverage of Florida's self-defense laws.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Mark Osterman, a U.S. Air Marshal and friend of Zimmerman's who wrote a book about the case, testifies on Tuesday, July 2. He recounted the story of the shooting that Zimmerman told him and testified that when he took Zimmerman home from the police station after the shooting, Zimmerman wasn't acting like himself.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda, on July 2, demonstrates a possible scenario while questioning state witness Chris Serino, a Sanford police officer.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Hirotaka Nakasone, a voice recognition expert with the FBI, testifies in the Zimmerman trial on Monday, July 1.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Witness Jonathan Good is cross-examined by defense attorney Mark O'Mara on Friday, June 28.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Selma Mora reenacts a scenario for defense attorney Mark O'Mara on Thursday, June 27. Mora lived in Zimmerman's neighborhood at the time of the shooting.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Witness Jennifer Lauer points to where her former home was in the Retreat at Twin Lakes community during questioning by defense attorney Mark O'Mara on June 27. Lauer called 911 on the night of the shooting.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Rachel Jeantel, a friend of Martin's, is questioned by defense attorney Don West on June 27. She appeared to get frustrated several times during the cross-examination, including one time when West suggested they could break until the morning so she'd have more time to review the deposition transcript.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – The evidence letter that Jeantel says she wrote with a friend for Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother, is displayed during the trial on June 27. When the defense asked Jeantel to read the letter, she said she couldn't read cursive. She asked a friend to write the letter for her, she said.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Jeantel testifies on Wednesday, June 26. She was the last person to speak with Martin on the phone.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Zimmerman walks past Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton, left, and Tracy Martin, second from left, as he enters the courtroom after lunch recess on June 26.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Diana Smith of the Sanford Police Department on Tuesday, June 25, shows the jury a bag of Skittles that was collected as evidence at the crime scene. Martin was said to be carrying the bag of candy and a soft drink at the time of his death.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Assistant state attorneys John Guy, left, and Richard Mantei hold up Martin's sweatshirt as evidence during Zimmerman's trial on June 25. After Martin's death, protesters started wearing hoodies in solidarity against racial profiling.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – During the trial on June 25, crime scene technician Diana Smith shows the jury a gun that was collected as evidence.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Zimmerman laughs with defense attorney Don West during his trial on June 25.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Selene Bahadoor enters the courtroom to take the witness stand on June 25. She was the first eyewitness to testify and said the shooting occured right behind her home.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Seminole County 911 dispatcher Sean Noffke testifies on Monday, June 24, about his conversation with Zimmerman on a non-emergency line the night of the shooting.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – A transcript of Zimmerman's police call on the night of the shooting is projected during opening arguments on June 24.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Martin's father, Tracy Martin, cries on June 24 as he listens to the description of his son's death.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Prosecutor John Guy gestures during his opening arguments on June 24. His first words to the six-woman jury may have raised a few eyebrows. "Good morning. 'F*****g punks, these a******s all get away,'" Guy quoted Zimmerman. "These were the words in this grown man's mouth as he followed this boy that he didn't know. Those were his words, not mine."
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – From left, Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman Sr.; his mother, Gladys; and his wife, Shellie, are escorted from the courtroom on June 24. Since they are all on the witness list, the judge ruled they cannot be present in the courtroom until after they testify.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Defense attorney Don West displays a photo of Zimmerman from the night of the shooting during his opening arguments on June 24. He opened his statements with a knock-knock joke but failed to win a laugh. "Knock knock. Who's there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? Good, you're on the jury," he said.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – A video entered as evidence is displayed on June 24. It shows Martin, right, at a 7-Eleven on the night of his shooting.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – From left, Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, and Benjamin Crump, the family's legal counsel, make a brief statement to the media before jurors heard opening statements on June 24.
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Key moments in the Zimmerman trial – Zimmerman waits for the start of his trial on June 24.
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When asked Monday night by CNN for clarification about the gun, a spokesman for O'Mara's law firm, Shawn Vincent, said there was no update yet.
What's next for George Zimmerman? 05:25
George Zimmerman in police custody 03:41
Police: Zimmerman won't be charged 01:52
Zimmerman's wife files for divorce 01:34
The incident stemmed from a visit by Shellie Zimmerman, who filed for divorce last week, and her father, David Bryant Dean. They came to the house the couple used to share to pick up some of her belongings.
George Zimmerman and his wife texted Monday morning, and she told him she was going over to the house, according to a person with whom the family shared the photos of the texts.
George Zimmerman came to the house with a friend of his and got into a heated discussion with Dean, O'Mara said.
During the altercation, Zimmerman smashed his wife's iPad.
Shellie Zimmerman called police as George Zimmerman sat in his truck with his friend.
On the 911 call, Shellie Zimmerman is breathing heavily when she tells a dispatcher that Zimmerman is still at the house.
"He's in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun, and he's saying, 'Step closer.' He's just threatening all of us with his firearm," she says.
Shellie Zimmerman also tells 911 that George Zimmerman punched her father in the nose, then smashed her iPad before getting in his truck.
"I don't know what he's capable of. I'm really, really scared," she says.
The incident comes two months after Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, was found not guilty of murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.
O'Mara said, "There was heightened emotion, and a disagreement took place."
O'Mara said Shellie Zimmerman no longer lives at the house, which is owned by her father.
After he was initially detained by officers, George Zimmerman was interviewed at the house by detectives, Lake Mary police spokesman Zach Hudson said.
Zimmerman had offered to turn over surveillance tapes from security cameras at the house to investigators.
Shellie Zimmerman called 911 just after 2 p.m. ET, Bracknell said earlier.
Police said Dean spoke with first responders but was not treated by paramedics.
George's brother, Robert, tweeted after his brother's detention that the public shouldn't "jump to conclusions."
Shellie Zimmerman's divorce filing last week in Seminole County came after she pleaded guilty to perjury on August 28 for lying about the state of the couple's finances during a bond hearing in April 2012. She had claimed she and her husband were broke, when in reality they had collected about $135,000 in donations.
Since his acquittal on July 13, George Zimmerman has been in the headlines several times. In late July, he reportedly helped a family escape from an overturned SUV. A report from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office confirmed his involvement.
More recently, Zimmerman has been pulled over in traffic twice. The first time, he was given a verbal warning for a traffic violation in Texas and reportedly told officers he had a firearm in his glove compartment. The second time was in Florida last week, when he was issued a $256 ticket for speeding.
Lake Mary is a suburb of Orlando near Sanford.
