Posted on 07/24/2018 6:02:02 AM PDT by simpson96
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Hundreds from around Tampa Bay marched with the family of the Clearwater man fatally shot over a parking spot.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says the shooting was justified under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. The deadly shooting at a convenience store in unincorporated Clearwater occurred Thursday.
Sgt. Spencer Gross of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office tells ABC Action News the shooting stemmed from an argument over a parking spot.
Deputies said Michael Drejka, of Clearwater, confronted a woman who parked in a handicapped parking space outside the Circle A Food Store on Sunset Point Road.
Witnesses told deputies the two were arguing because Drejka was upset the woman parked there even though she wasn't handicapped. The woman's boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, of Clearwater, was inside the store to buy his little boy a candy bar, according to the store owner.
McGlockton exited the store to defend his girlfriend and shoved Drejka to the ground.
Drejka responded by taking out a pistol and shooting McGlockton in the chest. McGlockton ran back into the store where his five-year-old son was standing at the front door, watching the entire incident happen right before his eyes. McGlockton fell to the ground inside of the store and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Investigators say multiple people witnessed the shooting and called 911.
Drejka is a legal concealed weapons permit holder and will not be charged because of Florida's Stand Your Ground law, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcactionnews.com ...
I always thought that use of force by anyone had to be reasonable based on the force being used against you.
I guess I was wrong.
People who are carrying should not pick fights with strangers. Apparently this shooter makes a habit of doing that. I don’t see how this is “Stand Your Ground,” but perhaps I don’t have the whole story.
Now that I watched the video I see the shooting was justified.
The pusher was huge and menacing and had no reason to shove him since the shooter was just yelling at the inconsiderate chick.
Ignore prior comment.
The larger black man came and casually swatted the white guy down to the hard pavement. You can say the white guy was being a pain BUT don’t go pushing people down onto the pavement. Maybe say some words first instead of acting like King Of The Jungle.
First blow and first physical contact came from the black guy
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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, 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.
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We have to remember that this is Florida, where you have whackjobs running around getting the cops called on them all the the time, and the cops "Dindu Nuffin"...
People who live by might makes right need to take notice.
A gun is an equalizer. If I am 200 pounds, and I confront a 150 pound man or woman, and toss them to the ground, I fully expect a loaded 38 to come out of his or her pocket. Thats what guns are for, so that the victim doesnt end up in a coma from a head stomping on a sidewalk.
I agree. What if Drejka’s mom needed to use that parking space - even though she wasn’t there?
I agree. CCW holders should have a course in de-escalation, and non confrontational encounters.
Then again, in a CCW stand your ground state you have no business shoving people down to the ground.
An armed society is a polite society.
Or it will be once assholes figure out that they can get shot for being assholes.
So you have a large, aggressive black male that clearly shows he believes rules and regulations don’t apply to him because he parks in a handicapped parking spot and he physically assaults a smaller man making a legitimate protest.Sounds like a righteous shoot to me and the Sheriff agrees. That’s even though I don’t like handicapped parking spot Nazis that go around looking to be upset.
Keeping the 21 foot rule in mind, the aggressor was well within range to continue his assault at his discretion. Drawing his weapon and hesitating would have provided an opportunity to agressor disarm the victim of the assault.
Ever notice when you point out somone’s driving sucks and they are breaking the law (passing on the shoulder at 75, running red lights, going straight from a turn lane, etc.) they get p!ssed off at you for pointing it out?
And sometimes they’ll say “smoke a joint and relax, don’t be in such a rush” except they are driving in a deadly manner and won’t “relax”...
>>A gun is an equalizer. If I am 200 pounds, and I confront a 150 pound man or woman, and toss them to the ground, I fully expect a loaded 38 to come out of his or her pocket.
what’s the saying, an armed society is a polite society?
He's like Captain Redlegs in the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales: "Doin right ain't got no end."
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And in 2012, Tyler Smith, 18, accused a driver later identified as Drejka of hanging a gun outside of his truck window during a road rage incident in Palm Harbor, northwest of Tampa, according to law enforcement documents obtained by NBC News.
Smith, whose account was corroborated by his passenger, told a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy that Drejka began yelling and honking at him when he stopped at a yellow traffic light, the documents say.
Smith said Drejka then dangled a black handgun from his driver’s side window and placed two magazines on his truck’s dashboard. After Drejka followed the car, the passenger told the deputy, Smith called the sheriff’s office to report him — though he didn’t want to press charges, according to the documents.
During an interview with deputies, Drejka said he’d yelled at Smith and honked his horn after the car cut him off, the documents say. Drejka denied following the vehicle or displaying a Glock that he kept in his truck’s center console.
No charges were filed in the case and the documents say Drejka’s concealed weapon’s license was valid.
Our man Drejka knows how to deal with THAT sh*t, a fool in paradise...
And in 2012, Tyler Smith, 18, accused a driver later identified as Drejka of hanging a gun outside of his truck window during a road rage incident in Palm Harbor, northwest of Tampa, according to law enforcement documents obtained by NBC News.
Smith, whose account was corroborated by his passenger, told a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy that Drejka began yelling and honking at him when he stopped at a yellow traffic light, the documents say.
Smith said Drejka then dangled a black handgun from his driver’s side window and placed two magazines on his truck’s dashboard. After Drejka followed the car, the passenger told the deputy, Smith called the sheriff’s office to report him — though he didn’t want to press charges, according to the documents.
During an interview with deputies, Drejka said he’d yelled at Smith and honked his horn after the car cut him off, the documents say. Drejka denied following the vehicle or displaying a Glock that he kept in his truck’s center console.
No charges were filed in the case and the documents say Drejka’s concealed weapon’s license was valid.
Nobody looks good here. The shooter goes around habitually looking for trouble. The girlfriend illegally parked in a handicapped space then argued about it when it was pointed out. The deceased turned a mere verbal argument into a physical confrontation.
Simply do not lay your hands on others. You have no idea what they’re capable of. Had the boyfriend just told the shooter off and flipped him the middle finger while driving off, he’d be enjoying life today laughing about the A-hole in the parking lot.
brandishing the gun would appear to be criminal, no?
Those kids cut him off, and they also might have been thinking about parking in Drejka's mom's handicapped parking spot at the Circle A.
You can't be too careful...
Yeah, but it's not Drejka's fault. He just can't help himself, so it's all good.
[Store owner] 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.
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