Gun store manager denies hiring George Zimmerman as ‘patrolmen’

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — The U.S. man famous for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager told police that he had been hired as security for a gun store, a claim that the store’s manager denied Tuesday.

Police said two officers on Sunday saw George Zimmerman and his dog parked behind Pompano Pat’s, a motorcycle and gun store.

Zimmerman, acquitted last year in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, told the officers that the owner gave him permission to be there to provide security after a recent burglary, according to the police report. The officers couldn’t reach the owner.

No citations were issued because “there was no evidence to support that a crime had occurred or was about to occur,” Officer Jessica Mayo wrote.

Zimmerman “in no way, shape or form” is employed by the store, Pompano Pat’s manager Sam Porter told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. Owner Pat Johnson didn’t immediately return a phone message.

Porter confirmed that the store had a burglary about two weeks ago, with 10 rifles stolen.

Porter said the store owner knew Zimmerman and had a friendship with him but wouldn’t elaborate further.

Zimmerman became a national figure during his second-degree murder trial last year. The case over the February 2012 shooting raised questions about race and self-defense laws. Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, was acquitted.