George Zimmerman's arrest for allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend may stem from the trauma he suffered during his trial for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman's former attorney Mark O'Mara says.
"People don't like when I say George went through trauma as well, because it doesn't compare to what Trayvon went through, but George went through trauma as well," O'Mara told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
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"When you shoot somebody, even if it's justified, that's trauma. When our cops do that, they put them through counseling, they take them off the street, they make sure everything's OK . . .
"Instead . . . George was vilified in the press. All of a sudden he's a racist murderer."
Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer who is Hispanic, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter in the death of Martin, a black teenager Zimmerman said he shot in self-defense after the youth attacked him in Sanford, Fl.
The case gained worldwide interest because of its racial overtones.
Zimmerman was arrested Monday at his girlfriend Samantha Scheibe's home in Apopka, Fl., and charged with aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of domestic violence battery and criminal mischief.
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Zimmerman reportedly told police the dispute began when he tried to leave because Scheibe was pregnant and wanted to raise their child by herself. Scheibe disputes his account.
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After his arrest, a prosecutor arguing for high bail said Zimmerman had attempted to choke his girlfriend a week and a half earlier.
"I'm not trying to explain bad behavior or domestic violence behavior, if those allegations have any truth to them. But if we look at somebody and say this is the fallout from what he went through, maybe it's a little bit easier to understand or explain away," O'Mara said.
"I truly hope that George can figure out a way to try and get that sense of peace back to himself."
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