Girlfriend Speaks Out On Guilty Verdict For Michael Drejka

CLEARWATER, FL — In a year marked by loss, the family of Markeis McGlockton said they finally have something to celebrate.

"I couldn't be more happy," declared McGlockton's girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, after learning that the man who shot McGlockton had been found guilty of manslaughter.

After a weeklong trial filled with eyewitness testimony and technical information, the jury took six hours to reach a verdict, finding that Michael Drejka, 49, was not acting in self-defense when he shot McGlockton in a Clearwater convenience store parking lot July 19, 2018.

Mortally wounded, McGlockton, 28, stumbled into the convenience store and collapsed in front of his 5-year-old son, Markeis Jr.

Jacobs said her first thought upon hearing the verdict was her son.

“I went home and I woke up little Markeis," she said. "I told him we got justice for Daddy. He said, 'Mommy, that’s good.'"

The shooting of the unarmed black father of three sparked outrage throughout the community and garnered national headlines when Drejka initially asserted the "stand your ground" defense, which protected him from arrest. Drejka's defense attorneys subsequently dropped the "stand your ground" defense and simply claimed self-defense.

Both the defense and prosecution cases hinged on a surveillance video that captured the shooting.

The jury heard a taped interview with Drejka who told detectives that McGlockton came out of the store and shoved him to the ground after Drejka got into an argument with Jacobs over the fact that she had parked in a handicapped parking space. He described his actions as he lay on the ground.

"The way I was able to draw it (his handgun), I couldn't level it with one hand, so I eventually try to bring my left around for support and he made this step towards me and that was that," Drejka said.

Detectives asked Drejka how many steps McGlockton took toward him.

"One more step right, one more step towards me and I didn't say a word. It was already out," Drejka said. He said he then fired once at McGlockton.

Detective Richard Redman challenged Drejka's recall of events.

"What happens if I told you that I looked at the video and at no time and point does he come running up toward you? He actually takes a step back," Redman asked Drejka in the interview.

"I would disagree," Drejka answered.

Drejka never took the stand in his own defense.

A sentencing hearing will take place in October. McGlockton's family will ask the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 30 years.

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