A recent shooting in which a concealed carrier in Florida shot a man after being pushed is raising eyebrows. Some defend the armed man’s actions, stating Stand Your Ground laws, while others think that he took things too far.
Here’s the story;
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told reporters during a Friday press conference that Thursday’s shooting death of Markeis McGlockton, a 28-year-old father of three, is “within the bookends of stand your ground and within the bookends of force being justified,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Watch the surveillance video below, and then continue with the rest of the story.
Surveillance video obtained by The Post shows McGlockton walking up to Michael Drejka, 47, who was arguing with McGlockton’s girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, 24, over a handicapped parking spot at the Circle A Food store on Sunset Point Road in Clearwater on Thursday.
Detectives from the sheriff’s office said Jacobs had parked her 2016 Chrysler 2000 in a handicapped spot without a permit, leading to the argument with Drejka that prompted a witness to alert a clerk inside.
That’s when McGlockton, who is black, exited the store and approached Drejka, shoving him violently to the ground with both hands, surveillance video shows. While still on the ground, Drejka, who is white, then pulled out a gun and shot McGlockton, firing a single round that struck him in the chest, deputies said.
McGlockton was then seen staggering back into the store, where he eventually collapsed. A short time later, he was pronounced dead.
There are many things to consider here, and I’ll list a few just off the top of my head.
- It isn’t known who started the argument or how heated it was, because we don’t have any audio from the video clip. The question about entering yourself into a possible confrontation can come into play, but it’s not that simple. Telling someone that they shouldn’t park in a handicapped space without a permit is one thing, but yelling at them about this and causing things to escalate is another. We don’t know how it went, though, but it’s something to consider when you –yourself– are going to talk with someone that could cause an argument.
- McGlockton came out of the store and immediately went for Drejka. We aren’t sure how much of the verbal exchange was known to him, but he didn’t waste any time pushing Drejka to the ground. At that time, McGlockton’s girlfriend was out of the vehicle, and he could have thought that she was in danger. However, it seems that he was quick to use physical violence, having just entered the altercation.
- After Drejka falls, McGlockton can be seen taking some steps back after he sees the firearm. There is now some distance between the two, but not that much. Does it, however, warrant the pulling of the trigger?
I can’t say what I would have done for certain but if I felt that my life was in danger, I would have drawn my firearm just as Drejka did. But if the threat was backing up after my firearm was drawn, I would pause and try to take control of the situation to make the threat get out of my immediate area.
We can add many things into this equation, such as any potential medical conditions that Drejka could have or any injuries that he could have sustained after falling to the ground. Was he unable to get up quickly, and because of this, thought that his only option was to fire?
Under Florida self-defense law, they have what’s called Stand Your Ground. The law states the following:
A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity, and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.
F.S. §776.013(3)
Share Your Thoughts
In this particular case, after watching the video and reading the story, do you feel that Drejka did the right thing? Or do you feel that the force he used, firing his pistol, was excessive under the circumstances? Let us know in the comments below.
