| Killing of Markeis McGlockton | |
|---|---|
 Map of Clearwater, Florida | |
| Location | Circle A Food Store in Clearwater, Florida, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 27°59′23″N 82°47′15″W / 27.98981°N 82.78758°W |
| Date | July 19, 2018 3:30 p.m. EDT (McGlockton shot) 4:04 p.m. EDT (McGlockton declared dead) |
Attack type | Shooting, manslaughter |
| Injured | Drejka (bruise) |
| Victim | Markeis Deon McGlockton |
| Perpetrator | Michael Andrew Drejka |
| Motive | Parking space dispute |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | Manslaughter
|
| Sentence | 20 years in prison |
On July 19, 2018, Markeis McGlockton, 28, was fatally shot by Michael Drejka at a parking lot outside a local convenience store in Clearwater, Florida, United States. Shortly before the shooting, Drejka pulled in a spot not meant for parking and approached McGlockton's car to confront McGlockton's girlfriend for parking in a disabled parking space without a placard. McGlockton came out of the store to find Drejka screaming at his girlfriend and warned Drejka to back away from his vehicle. When that attempt was unsuccessful he then shoved Drejka to the ground. Drejka immediately drew his handgun and McGlockton began to back away. Five seconds after Drejka hit the ground, he shot McGlockton once. McGlockton later died from his injuries at a local hospital. He was unarmed at the time he was shot.[1]
Drejka, a 47-year-old man, was not initially charged for the killing by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, with Sheriff Bob Gualtieri citing Florida's stand-your-ground law as the reason. The investigation was then handed over to the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe, who charged Drejka with one count of manslaughter on August 13, 2018. Drejka pleaded not guilty to the charge. His trial began on August 19, 2019. Drejka was convicted of manslaughter on August 23, 2019, and was sentenced to imprisonment for twenty years on October 10, 2019.[2] The incident was widely reported by news media as another instance of Florida's stand-your-ground law, and generated significant attention and protests because Drejka was white and McGlockton was black with similarities to the killing of Trayvon Martin six years prior which generated international attention and debate.[3]
- ^ Couwels, John; Levenson, Eric (August 22, 2019). "Shooter in 'Stand Your Ground' trial says Markeis McGlockton ran at him. Video shows otherwise". CNN.
- ^ Varn, Kathryn (October 10, 2019). "Michael Drejka sentenced to 20 years in parking lot shooting". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).