(Reuters) - A Florida man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday for shooting at George Zimmerman, who had shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 in a case that garnered national attention, prosecutors said.

George Zimmerman listens to the judge during his first-appearance hearing in Sanford, Florida November 19, 2013. REUTERS/Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Pool/File Photo

Matthew Apperson, 37, was convicted by a jury last month of second-degree attempted murder for firing at Zimmerman, 33, during a roadside confrontation in Lake Mary, Florida in May 2015.

A Sanford, Florida jury had acquitted Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watchman, of murder in the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old Martin. The case sparked the Black Lives Matter activist movement that campaigns against violence towards black people.

Circuit Court Judge Debra Nelson in Seminole County called Apperson “a danger to the community” as she handed down the mandatory minimum sentence on Monday, ABC-affiliate WFTV 9 said.

Apperson also was sentenced to 15 years each for convictions of shooting into an occupied vehicle and aggravated assault with a firearm stemming from the altercation with Zimmerman, who sustained minor injuries from shattered glass, Florida State Attorney spokeswoman Lynne Bumpus-Hooper said.

The judge ordered the sentences be served concurrently.

“Bottom line, it’s a 20-year sentence,” Bumpus-Hooper said.

Apperson served about 14 months of his sentence while awaiting and undergoing trial.

His attorney was not immediately available for comment.

During his trial, Apperson testified that the shooting was in self defense. Zimmerman testified it was unprovoked and that he and Apperson had been involved in another roadside altercation in September 2014, in which Apperson, who is white, had accused him of being in the wrong over the shooting death of Martin.

Zimmerman claimed to have acted in self-defense when he shot Martin, a high school student who was walking through the community after stopping at a convenience store.</s>SANFORD, Fla. — The Florida man convicted of shooting at George Zimmerman as the two drove down Lake Mary Boulevard in separate vehicles was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison.

A Seminole County jury found 38-year-old Matthew Apperson guilty last month of attempted second-degree murder, armed aggravated assault and shooting into a vehicle.

On Monday, Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson handed down the state-mandated minimum: 20 years for shooting at another person with a gun.

Moments earlier Apperson’s wife, Lisa, stood in front of the judge and accused her of making unfair rulings and allowing an innocent man — her husband — to go to jail.

Seminole County authorities, Lisa Apperson said, have “given George Zimmerman a golden ticket to go out and do whatever he wants to do.”

Apperson’s mother, Janet White, asked the judge to throw out the verdict and allow her son to go free.

Her son acted in self-defense, she said, and the real bad man here is Zimmerman.

“We will hold our collective breaths to see what outrageous acts he (Zimmerman) performs next,” White said.

Matthew Appreson shot at Zimmerman May 11, 2015. Apperson told police that Zimmerman pointed a gun at him first, but Zimmerman told jurors that that was a lie.

The bullet shattered the passenger-side window of Zimmerman’s truck and lodged in the frame above his window. He suffered minor injuries from glass or metal fragments.

Assistant State Attorney Stewart Stone today said if the bullet had been five inches lower, it would have hit its target.

Zimmerman is the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer who was acquitted of murder for shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, in 2012 in Sanford.

Since then, police have been called to the scene of several confrontations involving Zimmerman, including a dispute with his estranged wife and father-in-law about how to divide up belongings, a new girlfriend who accused him of threatening her with a gun then locking her out of the house and a pair of incidents involving Apperson.

Zimmerman sees a doctor in the same business plaza where Apperson worked.

On Sept. 9, 2014, the two men shouted at each other from separate vehicles. Apperson accused Zimmerman of threatening him and called the authorities but did not prosecute.

In court Monday, Zimmerman described Apperson as dangerous.

“The crux here is Mr. Apperson’s blatant disregard for my life, any life … anybody driving up and down Lake Mary Boulevard,” Zimmerman told the judge.

He also said that Apperson “joyfully bragged” that he had killed Zimmerman that day.

Defense attorney Michael LaFay asked Nelson to free Apperson, a paralegal, while he filed an appeal and awaited its outcome.

The judge said no. Zimmerman fired a gun at someone in a moving vehicle, she said, on busy Lake Mary Boulevard. That was a threat to public safety.

Apperson has been in jail since July 31, 2015. He had been free on bond, then prosecutors charged him with urinating on his neighbor’s front door, and the judge ruled that that violated the terms of his pretrial release.

She cited that as another reason he should not be released on bail now.</s>The man who shot at notorious killer George Zimmerman during a road rage incident in Florida was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Matthew Apperson, of Seminole County, Fla., shot at Zimmerman during a dispute on the road on May 11, 2015 in which Apperson fired into the car, barely missing Zimmerman.

Apperson, 38, was convicted last month of attempted second-degree murder, armed aggravated assault and shooting into an occupied vehicle.

Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson sentenced Apperson to the state-mandated minimum: 20 years in prison, The Orlando Sentinel reports.

Zimmerman spoke at Apperson’s sentencing, accusing Apperson of having no regard for human life by shooting at him.

Apperson had been free on bail awaiting his sentencing, but a judge locked him up after he urinated in a neighbor’s yard.

In 2013, a majority white jury exonerated Zimmerman, 33, of the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, whom he stalked with a nine millimeter as the teenager returned from a trip to a convenience store in Sanford, Fla., a suburb of Orlando.</s>Matthew Apperson was convicted by a jury last month of second-degree attempted murder for firing at Zimmerman, 33, during a roadside confrontation in Lake Mary, Florida in May 2015.

A Sanford, Florida jury had acquitted Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watchman, of murder in the fatal shooting of the 17-year-old Martin. The case sparked the Black Lives Matter activist movement that campaigns against violence toward black people.

Circuit Court Judge Debra Nelson in Seminole County called Apperson "a danger to the community" as she handed down the mandatory minimum sentence on Monday, ABC-affiliate WFTV 9 said.

Apperson also was sentenced for convictions of shooting into an occupied vehicle and aggravated assault with a firearm stemming from the altercation with Zimmerman, who sustained minor injuries from shattered glass.

During his trial, Apperson testified that the shooting was in self defense. Zimmerman testified it was unprovoked and that he and Apperson had been involved in another roadside altercation in September 2014, in which Apperson had accused him of being in the wrong over the shooting death of Martin.

Zimmerman had claimed to have acted in self-defense when he shot Martin, a high school student who was walking through the community after stopping at a convenience store.</s>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.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that at the sentencing hearing Monday morning, 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.

Zimmerman is the former neighbourhood 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-defence after Zimmerman flashed a gun. Zimmerman disputed that.</s>A Seminole County jury sentenced 38-year-old Matthew Apperson to 20 years in prison for attempted second-degree murder for shooting at George Zimmerman.While driving on Lake Mary Boulevard, Apperson fired a single shot at Zimmerman’s truck on May 11, 2015. The bullet shattered the passenger-side window and passed Zimmerman’s head, finally lodging itself in the frame above the window. He suffered minor cuts.In 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted of murder for shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old.Apperson's wife accused the judge of making unfair rulings and allowing an innocent man – her husband – to go to jail, according to theApperson has been in jail since July 31, 2015. Initially, Apperson was out on bond for the shooting, but bail was revoked after he was accused of urinating on a neighbor's front porch</s>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.

Speaking in court before the sentencing Monday, Zimmerman thanked jurors for convicting Apperson, who he said "showed absolutely no care for human life."

"Mr. Apperson pulled that trigger and didn't care. In fact, he joyfully bragged about killing me and said, 'I got him. I shot George Zimmerman.' He thought he had killed me, and he was happy about it," Zimmerman said. During the trial, Apperson gave a different account, saying he acted in self-defense and that Zimmerman had threatened to kill him. After Monday's sentencing, Apperson's wife said the media had painted her husband as a monster and accused witnesses of lying on the stand, CNN affiliate WFTV reported "I can't wrap my head around all of it," Lisa Apperson said, according to WFTV. "The lies, the things people have held onto, it's just so much injustice and it's such a shame." 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.</s>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.</s>Man gets 20 years for shooting at George Zimmerman’s vehicle

Man gets 20 years for shooting at George Zimmerman’s vehicle Copyright ��� 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,broadcast, rewritten or redistributed..
Circuit Court Judge Debra Nelson in Seminole County, Florida, sentences Matthew Apperson, convicted by a jury last month of second-degree attempted murder, to 20 years in prison for shooting at George Zimmerman, who had shot and killed unarmed Trayvon Martin in February 2012.