Fla. ‘vigilante’ found guilty in parking lot shooting
A white Florida man who told detectives he had a “pet peeve” about illegal parking in handicapped spots was convicted late Friday of manslaughter for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in a dispute over a handicapped spot.
Six jurors deliberated for six hours before convicting Michael Drejka for the July 2018 death of Markeis McGlockton. Drejka, who could get 30 years, looked down after the verdict was read then wiped his brow with a blue handkerchief. He was ordered held without bond. Members of McGlockton’s family could be heard weeping in the courtroom.
Drejka, 49, had confronted McGlockton’s girlfriend for parking in a handicapped space while McGlockton went inside a convenience store. Security video recorded McGlockton leaving the store and shoving Drejka to the ground. Seconds later, Drejka pulled out a handgun and shot McGlockton, 28, as he backed away. McGlockton ran inside the store, where he collapsed and died.
The video was played multiple times for the jury of six men and a woman.
Drejka didn’t testify on his behalf, although jurors were played a video of his interview with detectives.
Drejka told the detectives he has a “pet peeve” about illegal parking in handicapped spots and often walks around such cars looking for handicapped stickers and placards, sometimes taking photographs. He said he often sees people illegally parked in the handicapped spot at that convenience store, but the owner doesn’t do anything about it.
Drejka said he saw McGlockton’s car in the handicapped spot in July 2018, so he went to its back and front, looking for stickers, which store security video shows. He said the car’s windows were tinted, so he didn’t know anyone was inside.
He said McGlockton’s girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, partially put down her window and asked what he was doing. He said he told her it was “not very polite” to park in the spot and “she took that as an affront.” He said that sparked an argument that got heated, with Jacobs saying “Do I have to get my man?”
Jacobs, who was waiting in the car with two children she had with McGlockton, testified that Drejka started walking around her car, stopped in the front, and then started pointing and yelling at her for parking in a handicapped spot. She said she eventually cracked the window to hear what he was saying and a screaming match ensued.
Jacobs and a witness, Robert Castelli, testified that McGlockton was backing up after shoving Drejka. Both said McGlockton didn’t take a step forward, toward Drejka as he was on the ground after being shoved.
When a detective in the video interview asked Drejka why he fired his gun, he said, “I have never been in that situation before, but I thought kicks were coming… I think ‘he is coming to do the rest of it.’ ”
During closing arguments, prosecutors had framed Drejka as a “vigilante” who carried a handgun because he liked provoking confrontations with people parked illegally in handicapped spaces.
Drejka’s attorneys said McGlockton caused his own death by shoving the defendant who was put in a vulnerable position on the ground and fired his gun to protect himself.