Florida Police Chief agrees 'George Zimmerman is a Sandy Hook waiting to happen'

George Zimmerman and his wife Shellie arrive for the start of the trial reuters (Reuters)

Emails sent by a Florida Police chief appear to show him agreeing that George Zimmerman, the man who shot teenager Trayvon Martin is "a Sandy Hook waiting to happen".

The comments came after Zimmerman hit controversy again when his estranged wife Shellie contacted police alleging he was threatening her and her father with a gun at her father's house in Lake Mary.

Lake Mary resident Santiago Rodriguez wrote to the Lake Mary police department to complain over their initial decision not to arrest or charge Zimmerman, during which police chief Steve Bracknell, responding to the email, appears to agree with her statement that Zimmerman is a "Sandy Hook waiting to happen".

“Zimmerman is a Sandy Hook, Aurora waiting to happen,” the resident, Santiago Rodriguez, writes to Bracknell in his first email", to which Bracknell replies: “Your reference to Sandy Hook … I agree,” according to The Guardian.

At the end of another email which encouraged Bracknell not to “give up” on the investigation, Rodriguez adds: “Sooner or later another mother and father is going to be on CNN lashing out against the system due to this man snapping.”

Bracknell replied: “As for your final thoughts, again, on a personal note, I agree."

Mrs Zimmerman told police dispatchers during a tearful phone call that she was "really, really afraid" and she did not know "what he's [Zimmerman] capable of". Mr Zimmerman denied these claims through his attorney, who told CNN that his client had "acted appropriately," whilst confirming that he had a gun, but stressed: "He never took the weapon out."

Mrs Zimmerman applied for divorce last week. She has since decided not to press charges over the alleged incident, although police could still choose to press charges on her behalf under Florida state law.

"Sandy Hook" is a reference to the mass shooting carried out by Adam Lanza at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut where twenty children and six adult staff members were fatally wounded. Lanza committed suicide shortly after first responders arrived at the scene.

The comments come after Bracknell also allegedly told a Los Angeles reporter that "it would be fantastic if you have an apartment out there [in California] for George Zimmerman", adding "This guy is killing me".

Protesters have already lashed out at Sanford Police, who took 44 days to arrest Zimmerman over 17-year-old Trayvon's death after the US neighbourhood watch volunteer Zimmerman shot dead the unarmed black teenager. He was acquitted by the jury of six women under Florida 'Stand your Ground' law.