Trayvon Martin's Lawyer Joins Clearwater Stand Your Ground Case

CLEARWATER, FL – Well- known Tallahassee civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has joined the legal team representing the family of a 28-year-old black man killed in a Clearwater Stand Your Ground shooting.

Six years ago, Crump represented the family of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old unarmed black teen who killed by Sanford security guard George Zimmerman in another high-profile Stand Your Ground case.

Now, Crump has joined forces with Pinellas County attorney Michele Rayner to represent Markeis McGlockton’s family in his July 19 shooting death.

That day, Britany Jacobs, 24, pulled into the Circle A food store at 1201 Sunset Point Road in unincorporated Clearwater. McGlockton, her boyfriend since high school and the father of her three children, was in the passenger seat. The couple's three children, age 5, 3 and 4 months, were in the back seat.

Jacobs told the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office that the parking lot of the store was full so she parked in a handicapped space since she intended to stay in the car with her two youngest while McGlockton and 5-year-old Markeis McGlockton Jr. went into the store to pick up drinks and snacks.

While sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, Jacobs was approached by Michael Drejka, 47, who was angry because she was illegally parked in a handicapped space.

“Wow, I’m still in shock at how this white man, this stranger came up to my car and harassed me, came cussing at me, pointing his finger at me,” said Jacobs.

"He (Drejka) was a frequent customer at the store and apparently had an issue with people who park illegally in handicapped spaces," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. "He approached Jacobs and they got into a pretty significant yelling match."

Witnesses were alarmed enough about the confrontation to report it to the store clerk. Hearing that a man was yelling at a woman for parking in a handicapped space, McGlockton rushed to Jacobs’ defense.

A surveillance video shows McGlockton approaching Drejka. They exchange words and then McGlockton shoves Drejka to the ground.

Four seconds later, while still in a seated position on the ground, Drejka pulls out a gun and shoots McGlockton in the chest.

Drejka, who had a valid concealed weapons permit, then put his gun in his car and waited for deputies to arrive. He told them that he was in fear for his life and claimed immunity from prosecution under the Stand Your Ground law.

During a press conference Thursday, July 26, Crump said the McGlockton case is eerily similar to the Trayvon Martin shooting, which made national headlines.

In both cases, unarmed black men were shot to death by white men claiming to fear for their lives and seeking immunity from prosecution under Florida’s 2005 Stand Your Ground law, Crump said.

And, in both cases, the shooters acted as “self-appointed wannabe cops who took the law into their own hands,” he said. “If they had just called the police and let the police do their job, none of us would be here. But they started a confrontation that ended in a death. And both were allowed to go home and sleep in their beds that night.”

There is one crucial difference between the two cases, however, Crump said.

“We didn’t have video in the Trayvon Martin case,” he said.

He said the Circle A convenience store parking lot surveillance video leaves no doubt about what occurred.

“Just look at the video,” he said. “It speaks for itself. Britany was in the car with her two babies in the back seat when a strange man comes up to her car, cursing, screaming and pointing his finger through the window.”

Markeis McGlockton’s father, Michael, said his son reacted as any man protecting his family would.

“He was doing the right thing, being a responsible father, raising his children and was gunned down simply for protecting his family,” said Michael McGlockton, 46. “You don’t shoot a man because the man pushes you to the ground. He did not have to pull the trigger.”

In the four seconds after Drejka falls to the ground, Crump said the video clearly shows McGlockton retreating from Drejka.

“Markeis takes four steps back and is turning to retreat,” said Crump. “He wasn't a threat. It is not reasonable to shoot and kill a person who is retreating.”

The video ends with 5-year-old Markeis Jr. reaching out to his father and his father falling at his feet, said Crump. McGlockton was transported to the hospital where he died.

“For the rest of their lives, these children are going to have to deal with this unbelievable traumatic episode of seeing their father gunned down,” he said.

Pinellas Sheriff: Stand Your Ground Applies In July 19 Shooting

Attorney Says Stand Your Ground Defense Not Justified In Shooting

Crump and Rayner say they’re seeking two outcomes. They want Pinellas-Pasco County State Attorney Bernie McCabe to file murder charges against Drejka.

“Allowing someone to kill an unarmed black person and claim self-defense is ludicrous,” said Rayner. “The state attorney has more than enough in his arsenal to defeat a Stand Your Ground defense.”

Additionally, they want the Florida Legislature to amend the Stand Your Ground law to clarify what constitutes an imminent threat.

“We have to let them know with a united voice that we can do better as a society,” said Crump. “Taking a gun out and shooting the person cannot be the solution.”

Drejka has not spoken publicly since the shooting and has denied requests for interviews.

The funeral for McGlockton will take place Saturday, July 28 at 11 a.m. at Shiloh Baptist Missionary Church in Largo, 13255 118th St N, Largo.

Images via McGlockton attorneys

Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri plays parking lot surveillance video