Shooter charged despite ‘stand your ground’ law

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Prosecutors charged a white man with manslaughter Monday in the death of an unarmed black man whose video-recorded shooting in a store parking lot has revived debate over Florida’s “stand your ground” law.

Michael Drejka, 47, has been charged with the July 19 death of Markeis McGlockton outside a Clearwater convenience store, Pinellas County State Attorney Bernie McCabe said. Drejka is being held on $100,000 bail.

McGlockton’s girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, who was seated in the couple’s car with two of their children, ages 3 years and 4 months, said Drejka confronted her for being parked in a handicapped-accessible space. McGlockton, 28, had gone into the store with their 5-year-old son. Jacobs said Drejka cursed at her. Video shows McGlockton exiting the store and shoving Drejka to the ground. Seconds later, Drejka pulled a handgun and shot McGlockton as he backed away.

In court documents, McCabe and Pinellas sheriff’s Detective George Moffett cited three other drivers who said Drejka threatened them during earlier confrontations.

A black man told Moffett he parked in the same handicappedaccessible spot three months before the shooting. The man said Drejka began yelling at him and said he would shoot him. The driver said he left, but as he pulled away Drejka shouted racial slurs. The man’s boss told Moffett that Drejka later called, telling him “he was lucky he didn’t blow his employee’s head off.”

In separate 2012 cases, drivers reported that Drejka waved a gun at them during road-rage confrontations. In both cases, officers stopped Drejka and found a gun in his car, but he denied showing it to the other drivers. In one case, the driver didn’t want to press charges. In the other, the driver left before the officer could get her information.

The family, civil rights groups and others had been holding protests demanding Drejka be charged.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri originally declined to charge Drejka, saying he was protected by Florida’s stand-yourground law. The law says people can use deadly force if they believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and have no obligation to retreat.

Gualtieri had passed the case to prosecutors and said Monday he supported McCabe’s decision.