By Shawn Nottingham
WASHINGTON — (CNN) The man convicted of shooting at George Zimmerman in a road rage incident has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, Florida authorities said.
Matthew Apperson was convicted of attempted second-degree murder in September. In addition to the 20-year sentence, he was also given a 15-year concurrent sentence for aggravated assault stemming from the same incident, Seminole County State Attorney spokeswoman Lynne Bumpus-Hooper said.
The road rage incident happened in Lake Mary, Florida, in May 2015.
Zimmerman testified that Apperson followed him, flashing his lights and honking his horn. Apperson pulled up beside Zimmerman and shot at him, but the bullet missed, Zimmerman said. He was cut by glass from a shattered window.
Apperson gave a different account, saying he acted in self-defense and that Zimmerman had threatened to kill him.
Zimmerman became a controversial figure in 2012 when he fatally shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. The case prompted national debates about the use of firearms for self-defense, as well as race issues.
Zimmerman was acquitted of a second-degree murder charge in 2013.
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