Wife: Trayvon killer threatened me

The estranged wife of a former neighbourhood watch volunteer cleared over the fatal shooting of a black teenager has accused him of threatening her and her father with a gun in a call to police.

Shellie Zimmerman called police, said Police Chief Steve Bracknell, saying George Zimmerman punched her father on the nose, grabbed an iPad from her hand and smashed it and threatened them both with a gun.

Mrs Zimmerman, who has filed for divorce, initially told an emergency dispatcher that her husband had his hand on his gun as he sat in his car outside the home. She said she was scared because she was not sure what Mr Zimmerman was capable of doing. But hours later she changed her story and said she never saw a firearm, said Mr Bracknell.

For the time being, "domestic violence can't be invoked because she has changed her story and says she didn't see a firearm," Mr Bracknell said. "We didn't find a gun," Lake Mary police spokesman Zach Hudson said. "We didn't find anything that indicated he had a gun on his person."

Mr Hudson said Mr Zimmerman was released from investigative detention at around 6.30pm and "he just walked back into the house". Mr Zimmerman was not arrested, Mr Bracknell said. He said the estranged husband and wife blamed each other for starting the fight but Shellie Zimmerman would not press charges. Her father also declined to press charges.

Mrs Zimmerman left the house in Lake Mary, Florida, which is owned by her parents, after being questioned by police. Mr Zimmerman remained there until the early evening and his lawyer, Mark O'Mara, denied any wrongdoing by his client. Both had been staying in the home until she moved out.

Mr O'Mara said his client never threatened his estranged wife and her father with a gun or punched his father-in-law. Shellie Zimmerman had collected most of her belongings from the house on Saturday, but she had returned unexpectedly to gather the remaining items. Emotions got out of control, but neither side was filing charges against the other, Mr O'Mara said.

Mrs Zimmerman said in a divorce petition filed last week that she and her husband separated a month after Mr Zimmerman was acquitted of any crime for shooting dead 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last July in Sanford, just a few miles away from Lake Mary. The acquittal led to protests nationwide. George Zimmerman, 29, said he acted in self-defence when he killed Trayvon and the polarising case opened up national discussions on self-defence laws and race. Trayvon was black; Mr Zimmerman has a white father and a Hispanic mother.

Last month Mrs Zimmerman, 26, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour perjury charge for lying about the couple's finances during a bail hearing following her husband's arrest after Trayvon's shooting and was sentenced to a year's probation and 100 hours of community service.

Mr Zimmerman has been involved with a domestic case at least once before. In 2005 his former fiancee filed for a restraining order against him, alleging domestic violence. Mr Zimmerman responded by requesting a restraining order against her. Since his acquittal, Mr Zimmerman has received a speeding ticket in Florida and was stopped on suspicion of speeding on a highway near Dallas, Texas, but not ticketed.