George Zimmerman Not Dead After Accidentally Shooting Himself; Not in Altercation with Gilbert Arenas

George Zimmerman, the ex-neighborhood watch volunteer was acquitted in the death of teen Trayvon Martin last year, isn’t dead. A fake article said he died. George Zimmerman, acquitted in the high-profile killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, listens in court, in Sanford, Fla., during his hearing on charges including aggravated assault stemming from a fight with his girlfriend. The charges were later dropped. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool, File)

George Zimmerman has not died and he wasn’t in an “altercation” with ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas, but fake news websites are saying otherwise.

A “satire” website called Cream BMP Daily made up a story saying that Zimmerman, 30, killed himself accidentally while attempting to reload a gun.

That story got nearly 100,000 shares on Facebook, with many people saying it’s real.

“911 first responders found George Zimmerman’s lifeless body at a Florida gun range after responding to an emergency call that he shot himself while loading his weapon,” the article says. 

Cream BMP’s disclaimer reads: “CreamBmp.com Written by comedian CREAM. This website is comprised of satire and parody of current news and urban culture. For entertainment purposes only.” 

Another article from a similar, “satire” website called Empire Sports later said Zimmerman got into a fight with Arenas, who was subsequently arrested. Empire Sports’ disclaimer says: “Empire Sports is a satirical and entertainment website. Empire Sports uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.”

This week, Zimmerman’s parents sued Rosanne Barr over a Twitter posts she made.

His parents claimed that Barr’s tweets fore them to go into hiding for years.

“It was foreseeable that the tweets would cause Robert and Gladys Zimmerman to have to flee their house in the middle of the night and never to be able to return, have to face a descent of media and others who would seek to do harm to Robert and Gladys Zimmerman and to their home, and have to live in seclusion to protect their personal and emotional well being,” the complaint reads, according to CNN. 

And Zimmerman’s divorce attorneys released a 20-minute video interview, which shows Zimmerman saying he’s a good person.

During the more than 20-minute interview, Zimmerman, dressed in a gray blazer and blue dress shirt, looks directly at the camera as he sits in an office chair. When asked by an off-camera attorney what his daily life is like, Zimmerman said he worries constantly about his safety.

“The only thing consistent is having to always look over my shoulder and be concerned about others around me,” he said.

Zimmerman said he’s trying to be a faithful family man but realizes that everything he does, good or bad, is heavily scrutinized.

Zimmerman was acquitted last summer of all charges for fatally shooting the 17-year-old Martin in a gated community where Zimmerman lived. Since his acquittal, Zimmerman has had brush-ups with the law following separate confrontations with his now-estranged wife, Shellie, and a former girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe. Neither Shellie Zimmerman nor Scheibe pursued charges against Zimmerman and the investigations ended without an arrest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.