After weeks of protests, and a petition in the wake of the fatal “Stand Your Ground” shooting over a parking space in Florida, the man who pulled the trigger has been arrested and charged with manslaughter.
On Monday, State Attorney’s Office announced that 47-year-old Michael Drejka has been arrested in the death of Markeis McGlockton, 28, and booked into the Pinellas County Jail on $100,000 bond.
The sudden arrest came after the County sheriff refused to charge Drejka, under the pretense of self-defense, as he revealed surveillance footage proved such claim.
“My decision not to arrest is merely doing what Florida [Stand Your Ground] law compels,” Bob Gualtieri said at the time. “To arrest, it must be so clear that, as a matter of law, ‘stand your ground’ does not apply in any way to the facts and circumstances that you’re presented with.”
However, the McGlocktons attorney said otherwise, claiming the video displayed Drejka as the aggressor.
In the July 19th incident, which occurred in the parking lot of a Clearwater, Florida convenience store, it all started after an argument over a handicap space.
According to reports, McGlockton’s girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, had been parked in a handicapped space, which prompted Drejka to confront her while McGlockton was inside the store.
However, upon his emergence, McGlockton approached the man and shoved him to the ground, which prompted Drejka to pull out his gun. As McGlockton backed away, Drejka shot him in the chest.
The shooting reignited national discussion about the controversial law, and how race plays a part in it, especially since McGlockton was black and Drejka is White.
