The owner of a bar in Daytona Beach, Florida isn’t too happy after he says George Zimmerman dumped his original bid for the pistol that killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin back in February 2012.
Denny Honeycutt told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that he and Zimmerman had previously worked out a deal to purchase the infamous gun. Their agreement fell through, however, when Zimmerman backed out of their $150,000 deal after he found out a woman was willing to pay $250,000 for the gun as a gift for her son’s birthday.
“I thought he was a man of his word,” Honeycutt said.
Honeycutt, who is the longtime owner of the beachside bar Froggy’s Saloon, says he’s still very much interested in becoming the gun’s owner.
“It’s not about a gun issue or a black and white issue,” Honeycutt said. “I’m a human being who loves everybody.”
He says Zimmerman texted him Friday apologizing for the change in plans and explained that his lawyer is currently trying to figure out what his contractual obligations are to the bar owner, the News-Journal reports.
“I still got the check waiting on him,” Honeycutt said. “If he comes back, he comes back. If he doesn’t, he’s an (expletive).”
The infamous firearm was sizing up to be a hot buy, as Zimmerman used in it the highly publicized shooting death of unarmed Black teen Trayvon Martin. He was acquitted for the 17-year-old’s murder in 2013.
On May 11, Zimmerman announced his plans to auction off the gun during an interview with Fox News affiliate WOGX.
“I recently received it back from the Department of Justice,” Zimmerman told the news station. “They took it after my trial, after I was exonerated.”
He posted the Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol for sale in two separate auctions, prompting outrageous offers from fake bidders and internet trolls condemning the former community watch coordinator for his reprehensible actions. Zimmerman said he intended to use the proceeds from the gun sale to fight Black Lives Matter and Hillary Clinton’s “anti-gun rhetoric.”
According to Atlanta Black Star, Zimmerman also attempted to sell the “American icon” on GunBroker.com, but the auction was ultimately taken down.
Just when the public thought it had thwarted Zimmerman’s plans, the gun was sold in a private auction May 18. The auction was hosted by UnitedGunGroup.com, Atlanta Black Star reports. The website initially did not release the gun’s selling price.
It turns out the buyer was Honeycutt. Per the News-Journal, the original plan was for Zimmerman to meet the bar owner in his gated Port Orange neighborhood around 2 p.m. The two would then finalize their agreement and enjoy a drink at the Downwind Cafe. Yet, that never happened.
Honeycutt said Zimmerman sent him a text Friday, 90 minutes before they were scheduled to meet up and exchange the gun for a $150,000 check, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
“Sit tight,” Zimmerman’s text read, according to Honeycutt. “Apparently last night someone dropped off a cash deposit at my attorney’s office.”
“For what?” Honeycutt replied.
“For the gun,” texted Zimmerman.
Honeycutt told Zimmerman he thought they had deal, upon which the acquitted killer informed him that they would have to postpone the exchange because someone else had placed a higher bid.
“Apparently the other party submitted a bid on 5-16 for $250,000,” Zimmerman wrote. “However, I did not see the asset verification since it was sent separately as an attachment.”
According to Honeycutt, Zimmerman wasn’t pleased about details of the gun sale being released to the News-Journal. Honeycutt said he isn’t happy either, as the exchange for the firearm didn’t go as planned. According to the News-Journal, Zimmerman will have to negotiate a new deal with Honeycutt if he decides to come back.
The two have supposedly been in contact over the past few days, the publication reports, and wound up exchanging their personal contact information.
As for now, the sale of the gun is still in limbo.