Spike Lee Apologizes to Florida Couple for Tweet Tying Them to Trayvon Martin Killing

Outspoken filmmaker may face legal action after mistakenly linking an elderly couple to a shooting death that's sparked national outrage

Spike Lee did the right thing.

The director apologized yesterday to David and Elaine McClain, an elderly couple living in Florida, after he inadvertently linked them to Trayvon Martin's killer, George Zimmerman.

"I Deeply Apologize To The McClain Family For Retweeting Their Address. It Was A Mistake.Please Leave The McClain's In Peace. Justice In Court," Lee wrote on Twitter.

The septuagenarians have threatened to sue the controversial filmmaker after he retweeted a post from another Twitter user that misidentified their home as the address in Sanford, Fla., where the embattled neighborhood watch captain lived.

The tweet went out to Lee's 250,000 followers, and, as a result, the McClains were bombarded by inquiries from reporters, hate mail and threats from would-be vigilantes that forced them to leave their Orlando residence for a hotel.

Lee's use of Twitter to express his regret didn't go over well with the couple, however. The McClains subsequently appeared on CNN and demanded a more personal mea culpa as well as a retraction.

"It's almost like we're the fugitives in this case, and we haven't done anything," Elaine McClain told CNN.

So far, no response from Lee or his reps. (He's probably too busy anyway following his beloved Knicks.)

As for Zimmerman, he has yet to be arrested in the shooting, which he has said was in self-defense, and is currently in hiding.