Prosecutors have arrested and brought charges of manslaughter against Michael Drejka, a 48-year-old White man responsible for fatally shooting the black 28-year-old. Markeis McGlockton, in Clearwater, Florida. The shooting and subsequent charges, which come very late after the July 19th shooting, echo the famous George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin affair that launched a fierce debate over gun rights across the nation in 2012.
Prosecutors waited to file charges
Michael Drejka and Markeis McGlockton originally had their fatal encounter on the night of July 19th, but prosecutors have only recently filed charges against the former despite the fact that they interviewed him on the night of the incident in question.
Like George Zimmerman’s famous case in 2012, Drejka claimed he was “standing his ground” and that his shooting was justified thanks to the fact that he feared for his life. McGlockton was unarmed when he was shot and killed.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office claimed that Drejka’s assertion that he was acting in self-defense was the primary reason he was only interviewed instead of being arrested at the time.
"If we had arrested him, we feel we would have violated his constitutional rights," the Sanford police chief told the local Orlando Sentinel. "Our job and our role is not to substitute our judgment for the law… but to enforce it equally and fairly as we’re required to do."
The incident began when Drejka confronted the girlfriend of the now-deceased McGlockton, Britany Jacobs, after she allegedly parked her automobile in a handicapped spot without an accompanying pass.
A quick background check proved she was not disabled. Reporting from CNN indicates that in the past, Drejka has demonstrated a history of threatening other drivers at the same location, with another local citizen coming forward and alleging that Drejka had threatened him with a firearm in the past.
The confrontation
After McGlockton came to his girlfriend’s defense when Drejka confronted her, he pushed Drejka to the ground.
Drejka then drew his firearm, shooting McGlockton once in the chest. Graphic surveillance footage made available illustrates the scene in its entirety. National civil rights critics argue that the incident closely reflects George Zimmerman’s fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager whose death was legally justified thanks to Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.
The brief exchange between the two men happened while McGlockton’s five-year-old son was inside a nearby store. Drekja is being held by Florida authorities until his trial begins.
