SANFORD — The man accused of shooting at George Zimmerman will use a "stand your ground" defense in an attempt to clear himself, his lawyer said Friday. 
 
 "That's a good look into the future," said Michael Lafay moments after a bond hearing for his client, Matthew Apperson, a 36-year-old Winter Springs man accused of firing into Zimmerman's pickup May 11 as they traveled in separate vehicles down West Lake Mary Boulevard. 
 
 "And, of course, as you know," Lafay said, "Mr. Zimmerman is no stranger to a 'stand your ground' situation." 
 
 Zimmerman is the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer acquitted of second-degree murder for killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, in Sanford in 2012. He says he acted in self-defense. 
 
 For months, his lawyers claimed that he should be cleared under Florida's much-criticized "stand your ground" law, which provides immunity to anyone who uses deadly force if he has a reasonable fear of imminent death or great bodily injury. 
 
 George Zimmerman's lawyer, Don West combats allegations that Matthew Apperson was acting out of self-defense. George Zimmerman's lawyer, Don West combats allegations that Matthew Apperson was acting out of self-defense. SEE MORE VIDEOS 
 
 In the end, however, they opted to go straight to trial and forgo a "stand your ground" hearing. 
 
 What happened between Apperson and Zimmerman on May 11 is similar in many ways to the night Trayvon was shot. Two people exchanged words. There was a confrontation, and then someone grabbed a gun and opened fire, claiming the other was about to kill him. 
 
 In this case, each man says the other was the aggressor. 
 
 Apperson told Lake Mary police he fired one round from a .357-caliber handgun after Zimmerman pointed a gun at him and said, "I'm going to kill you." 
 
 Matthew Apperson of Winter Springs was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and firing a deadly missile into an occupied conveyance after an altercation with George Zimmerman. 
 
 But Zimmerman's attorney, Don West, told reporters that Apperson was the aggressor. Zimmerman had a weapon in his pickup, West said, but did not brandish it. 
 
 Friday afternoon, Apperson was back in court, where a judge ordered him to wear a GPS device while awaiting trial so Zimmerman would know anytime he's nearby. 
 
 Zimmerman was not in court, but Assistant State Attorney Stewart Stone said, "I can tell the court that he wants it." 
 
 Apperson was freed two weeks ago on $35,000 bail. 
 
 Lafay asked Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson not to make Apperson wear the monitor. In the two weeks since his release from jail, Apperson has "scrupulously" complied with court orders and stayed out of trouble, Lafay said. 
 
 But the judge ordered it anyway and told county officials to strap it on him "now." 
 
 West said his client is willing to wear a companion device, hardware that would alert him if Apperson comes near him. 
 
 West said the shooting for Zimmerman was "a remarkably traumatic event." A bullet passed within "inches of his head." 
 
 Before the hearing, West said Zimmerman is currently in the Seminole County area but plans to leave the state. 
 
 Stone pointed out that the GPS device will not restrict where Apperson can go. It's Zimmerman who'll need to move if an alarm sounds because Apperson has gotten too close. 
 
 In the motion asking for the GPS device, prosecutors disclosed that Apperson was released from a mental ward three weeks before the shooting. 
 
 He has a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety, according to the state. 
 
 "It appears that Apperson has a fixation on Zimmerman," Lake Mary police Detective Michelle Hernandez wrote in her arrest report. 
 
 Apperson was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and shooting into a vehicle. 
 
 Apperson had two guns with him, according to a search warrant: a .357-caliber Ruger that he told police he fired and a .22-caliber Glock. 
 
 He also had 47 rounds of ammunition, according to the warrant. 
 
 rstutzman@tribpub.com 

 SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — An attorney for a Florida man charged with shooting at George Zimmerman said Friday that he planned to use a "Stand Your Ground" defense — the same legal strategy considered but ultimately not used by lawyers for the former neighborhood watch leader who was acquitted in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin. 
 
 Such a defense would entitle Matthew Apperson to a hearing, ahead of his trial, during which a judge would decide if he deserves immunity from prosecution because he feared imminent death or bodily injury. Apperson was charged earlier this month with aggravated assault and battery for firing a gun into Zimmerman's car during a traffic run-in. Zimmerman had minor injuries. 
 
 Zimmerman's defense attorneys had considered asking for a "Stand Your Ground" hearing when the former neighborhood watch leader faced a second-degree murder charge for the February 2012 fatal shooting of Martin, but they instead opted to go straight to a traditional criminal trial. 
 
 A jury acquitted Zimmerman of any crime following a trial two years ago. The case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. The U.S. Justice Department later decided not to bring a civil rights case against Zimmerman. 
 
 "That's a good look into the future," Apperson's attorney, Michael LaFay, was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying after a hearing in which a judge ordered Apperson to wear a GPS monitoring device. 
 
 Circuit Judge Debra Nelson issued the order so that Zimmerman will know any time Apperson is close by. 
 
 LaFay argued during the hearing in a Sanford courtroom that the monitoring was unnecessary. 
 
 A police report says Apperson had a fixation on the former neighborhood watch leader and that Apperson had recently been admitted to a mental institution.
– The man accused of shooting at George Zimmerman is planning to use a defense strategy that should be familiar to Zimmerman: Stand your ground. The attorney for Matthew Apperson said today that his client qualifies because he opened fire when he thought his life was in danger. As the AP notes, Zimmerman's legal team considered but ultimately chose not to pursue a stand-your-ground defense after Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin. Under Florida's law, Apperson would get a hearing before his trial at which a judge would decide whether he's in the clear because of the self-defense strategy. "That's a good look into the future," attorney Michael LaFay tells the Orlando Sentinel. The newspaper also points out broad similarities between this case and the Trayvon Martin shooting: "Two people exchanged words. There was a confrontation, and then someone grabbed a gun and opened fire, claiming the other was about to kill him. In this case, each man says the other was the aggressor."