Spike Lee apologizes for Twitter mistake
Couple who fled home after filmaker's tweet hires law firm
Filmmaker Spike Lee apologized on Wednesday for posting the address of an elderly Florida couple he thought belonged to the man who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager.
"I deeply apologize to the McClain family for retweeting their address," Lee tweeted. "It was a mistake. Please leave the McClain’s in peace. Justice in court."
The couple, aged 70 and 72, have been harassed with hate mail, been hassled by media and had scared neighbors questioning them since the tweet, their son Chip Humble told the Orlando Sentinel.
Fearful for their safety, and hoping to escape the spotlight, the couple have temporarily moved to a hotel.
The confusion seems to stem from the fact the woman's son is named William George Zimmerman and he lived briefly at the address in 1995. A man named George Zimmerman -- who has not been charged with a crime -- shot and killed unarmed Trayvon Martin last month, creating a national controversy.
William Zimmerman said he used his mother and stepfather's address to register a car, get a driver's license and vote when he lived there after college.
Newscore contributed to this report.
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