A couple in Sanford, Fla., is afraid for their lives after people posted their home address on Twitter and said it was that of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who shot dead Trayvon Martin.
The mistake reportedly has forced David and Elaine McClain, a couple in their 70s whose home is about four miles from where Martin was shot, to flee to a hotel.
"My youngest son, his last name is Zimmerman and his middle name is George," Elaine McClain told ClickOrlando.com, but that's all they have in common.
Among those retweeting the couple's address was film director Spike Lee, who has nearly 250,000 followers on Twitter.
"He definitely owes a big apology," McClain added. "All this is really scary and it's a shame. There's no reason they put our address out there without checking to see who lived there."
On Monday, the McClains called police after receiving an envelope with writing that tied it to the Martin case.
Police promised to increase patrols in their Sanford neighborhood, the McClains said. But as a precaution, they have fled to a hotel, Chip Humble, one of their sons, told the Orlando Sentinel.
"We're afraid for our lives," Elaine McClain said.
William George Zimmerman, the son whose name led to the errant tweet, said he wasn't sure how his parents' address was tracked down, but he noted that he lived there briefly after college and had used the address to register a car, get a driver's license and vote, according to the Sentinel.
Update at 8:30 a.m. ET Thursday: In a tweet late Wednesday, Lee apologized to the McClain family.
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