Florida man convicted in 'stand your ground' shooting.

[edbermac]

A Florida jury has convicted a white man of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in a dispute over a handicapped parking spot.

The jury of five men and a woman deliberated for more than six hours Friday before convicting Michael Drejka. He faces up to 30 years in prison.

He was charged with the July 2018 death of Markeis McGlockton.

Drejka had confronted McGlockton's girlfriend for parking in a handicapped space while McGlockton went into 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 the 28-year-old McGlockton as he backed away. McGlockton ran inside the store, where he collapsed and died.

Drejka told the detectives he has a "pet peeve" about illegal parking in handicapped spots.

https://news.yahoo.com/latest-defense-victim-caused-death-192201368.html;_ylt=A2KLfSYHsGBdLKIAC.3BGOd_;_ylu=X3oDMTByMDgyYjJiBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--

[Skittles]

1. GOOD

but we all know if there was no video he'd be walking free just like that piece of gun humping SHIT who killed Trayvon

[Snake Plissken]

6. Exactly, when there's a video, it's murder, when there's no video the killer gets away with it.

[Jedi Guy]

13. Well yeah.

That's hardly surprising, nor should it be. The legal standard is that the guilt of the accused be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If that doubt exists, no conviction. There was no evidence that conclusively disproved Zimmerman's account of what happened, as far as I recall.

Based on his subsequent behavior it's pretty clear that he wasn't the innocent lamb he claimed to be, but double jeopardy is also a thing.

In this instance, it's possible that Mr. McGlockton would still be alive had he not turned a verbal altercation into a physical one. Apart from that, he was clearly backing away and not "charging" as Drejka asserted, so Drejka had no grounds to use lethal force and is now getting the justice he deserves.

[ManiacJoe]

2. No surprise here.

The video did not support a claim of legal self defense.
A claim of "stand your ground" did not have any hope.

[TheBlackAdder]

3. If you have a 'pet peeve" flag down a cop. In NJ, between ticket & court, it's around $400 in fines.

[marble falls]

4. Didn't his guy shoot someone else in another incident?

[edbermac]

5. I think he made threats not actual shooting.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Weeks before Michael Drejka, 47, shot and killed Markeis McGlockton, 28, over a parking spot, he crossed paths with Richard Kelly.

Protests ensued after Pinellas County Sheriff cited "Stand Your Ground"

Another Clearwater resident had heated confrontation with Drejka weeks earlier
TUESDAY at 4 pm: McGlockton family speaks on Spectrum Bay News 9
Kelly, who drives a septic tank, briefly parked his tanker in this handicapped spot outside the Circle A Food Store before running inside this store for a beverage. When he came out, he saw Drejka taking pictures of his vehicle.

"He asked me (if) was I handicapped, and I said, 'Obviously, I'm driving a tanker. I'm not handicapped.' And I asked if was he handicapped and he stated 'No, my mom is,'" Kelly said.

Kelly asked Drejka if his mom was nearby and offered to move his tanker. That’s when he says Drejka became furious.

"He flipped out on me called me every n-word, said he's going to shoot me," Kelly said. "He said he was going to kill me, and he went back to his truck, got something out of his truck and walked back up on me."

Store owner Ali Salous came out and shut down the confrontation.

"I didn't know this was going to happen two months later with another guy. It's really sad," he said.

Salous says Drejka has a history of confrontations in and around his store.

"He told me I can't help it. Every time I do this I get in trouble, and I can't help it. I keep doing it," Salous said.

Kelly said Drejka called his job and left a threatening voice mail on the answering service.

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2018/07/23/clearwater-gunman-confronted-man-over-parking-spot-weeks-before-stand-your-ground-shooting

[uponit7771]

11. WOW !!! This guy was looking for someone to kill

[Blue_true]

12. That is a lot more common here in Florida than an outsider would assume.

People looking for a reason to escalate a disagreement. That is why if someone makes an agressive gesture toward you in traffic, signal that you apologize, even if you did nothing. For some of them, ignoring them makes them madder.

[Skittles]

9. no, but he was like Zimmerman

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE because he's macho man with a gun

[Mariana]

7. This creep set up this situation so he could shoot someone "in self defense".

I'd lay money on it. How do you get a man who's going about his day and minding his own business, angry enough to physically attack you, when he normally wouldn't do any such thing? Why, you aggressively "confront" and frighten his wife/girlfriend, of course. Then after it's over, you tell the police this crazy guy just went off on you for no reason. Fortunately this time, there were cameras.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. This hot head should not have had a gun

I'd bet if he didn't have that piece on his hip, he would have grumbled some racist slurs under his breath to his wife and gone home to kick the dog. As it was, he thought he was a bad ass who had to do something about handicap parking.

Rot in jail asshole.

[HipChick]

10. GOOD!