US man alleges Trayvon Martin shooter threatened him

MIAMI (AFP) - Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, cleared in 2013 of murdering unarmed, black US teenager Trayvon Martin, was back in the news Friday after he allegedly made a road-rage death threat.

A Florida man contacted emergency services on Tuesday claiming that Mr Zimmerman had threatened to kill him, police said Friday.

The unnamed man called back on Thursday alleging that Mr Zimmerman was waiting outside his office in a parked car, a spokeswoman for the Lake Mary police told AFP.

However, the man declined to press charges over the incident, which local media said was spurred by road-rage.

Mr Zimmerman was controversially acquitted of murder in the 2012 death of Mr Martin, claiming self-defense under Florida's "stand your ground" law.

The shooting happened when Mr Zimmerman was following Mr Martin on suspicion that the 17-year-old, who had just bought a bottle of ice tea and candy, was involved in robberies in the neighborhood.

The killing sparked outrage over racial profiling and lax US gun laws.

Since the acquittal, Mr Zimmerman, 30, has had a number of run-ins with the law.

In 2013 his then wife Shellie Zimmerman called police claiming that her husband had threatened her and her father with a gun, but refrained from pressing charges.

Several months later, Mr Zimmerman was arrested for domestic violence against a girlfriend who later changed her story and withdrew charges.

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