Spike Lee apologized on Wednesday for retweeting a tweet thought to contain Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman's address that turned out to be an elderly couple's residence.

Lee wrote:

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 retweeted the erroneous information to his 240,000-plus followers last Friday. The original tweet--posted the same day by Marcus Davonne Higgins, a 33-year-old from Los Angeles, using the Twitter handle @Maccapone--was sent to several celebrities including Lee, 50 Cent and LeBron James. Higgins urged friends on Facebook to "REACH OUT & TOUCH" Zimmerman.

The couple--David McClain, 72, and his 70-year-old wife Elaine--had been living in fear after their Sanford, Fla., address, via Lee, was widely disseminated.

Lee's tweet sparked outrage among critics who said he was encouraging vigilante justice.

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