- Last week, a white man shot and killed a black man over a dispute about a parking spot in Clearwater, Florida, according to reports.
- Michael Drejka, 47, first approached the vehicle of Markeis McGlockton, 28, his girlfriend Britany Jacobs, 25, and their young children because they were parked in a handicapped parking spot at a grocery store.
- Security footage from the store shows Drejka speaking with Jacobs before McGlockton left the store and shoved Drekja. While on the ground, Drekja took out a gun and shot McGlockton in front of his family.
- Drejka won't face any charges because he claims he shot McGlockton out of self-defense per Florida's Stand Your Ground law.
- Jacobs told outlets she wants "justice" for her boyfriend.
- Warning: Graphic footage of shooting below.
Michael Drejka, 47, shot and killed Markeis McGlockton, 28, last week over a dispute about a parking spot at a grocery store in Clearwater, Florida, but he won't face charges, as the New York Times reported.
Speaking with Good Morning America, 25-year-old Brittany Jacobs, McGlockton's girlfriend, said she was sitting in a parked car with her two of their children when Drejka approached her and said she shouldn't be parked in the handicapped parking spot. At the time, McGlockton and their 5-year-old child were in the store picking up snacks.
Per security footage provided by the Circle K convenience store and gas station, McGlockton intervened in the situation, pushing Drejka away. While on the ground, Drekja, who reportedly had a concealed carry permit, took out a gun and shot McGlockton in front of his family.
Surveillance video provided by the owner of the Circle A Food Store shows Markeis McGlockton walk outside and confront Michael Drejka, who was arguing with McGlockton’s girlfriend after she parked in a handicapped space. McGlockton shoves Drejka, then Drejka pulls out his gun pic.twitter.com/rT1CeYi9tm
— Kellie Cowan (@KellieCowan) July 20, 2018
Jacobs told GMA that McGlockton went back into the store, clutching his chest. Shortly therafter, he was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead within half an hour, Jacobs said.
"Everybody is panicking ... my son is screaming, but it was too late," she said. "It's hard for a 4- or 5-year-old to witness what he saw. ... It's really tough for him."
At a July 20 press conference about the incident, Bob Gualtieri, the Pinellas County sheriff, said that the county won't be pressing any charges against Drejka because of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. The statute states that a person can use deadly force if they "reasonably believe that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm."
First adopted in Florida in 2005, the statue garnered national attention in 2012 when it was used to justify the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Martin, who was unarmed, was shot and killed by then-28-year-old George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman.
Speaking at the press conference, Gualtieri claimed that Drejka was acting out of self-defense.
"He told deputies that he had to shoot to defend himself. Those are the facts and that's the law," Gualtieri said. "No matter how you slice it or dice it that was a violent push to the ground."
He continued: "I don't make the law — we enforce the law. And I'm going to enforce it the way it's written, the way the legislature's intended for it to be applied. And others can have the debate about whether they like it or not."
Gualtieri also noted that this wasn't the first time Drejka has complained about people parking in handicapped spots at the Circle A store. The owner of the store told ABC-affiliated WFTS that Drejka has a history of harassing people in the parking lot. Speaking with the same outlet, a man named Rich Kelly claimed that last month Drejka also assaulted him over a parking spot, using racial slurs and threatening to kill him.
Jacobs told GMA that she thinks Drejka approached her family because he "wanted someone to be angry at." She added that the situation has been difficult for her and her children.
"He was a good man and all he was trying to do was protect his family," Jacobs said. "I just want justice. I need something to be done because this is not right."
The State Attorney's Office is now investigating the case, Gualtieri said.
A representative for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was unavailable to comment further on this story.
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