A lawyer for the family of a man gunned down over a parking space in Florida called on lawmakers Thursday to change the state’s “stand your ground” law to stop “wannabe cops from killing unarmed black men.”
During a press conference in front of the Pinellas Criminal Justice Center in Clearwater, Florida, lawyer Benjamin Crump said the law has prompted an “epidemic” of unjustified shootings.
Markeis McGlockton, 28, was killed one week ago today after he shoved Michael Drejka, 47, to the ground when he saw Drejka berating his girlfriend for parking in a handicap zone.
“We are here to demand justice for the cold-blooded murder of Markeis McGlockton by the self-appointed wannabe cop Michael Drejka,” said Crump, standing next to McGlockton’s girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, 24, and his parents.
He compared the shooting to other “stand your ground” cases in Florida, including that of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old African-American who was shot dead by Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012 in Sanford, Florida.
He also invoked the name of Corey Jones, a 31-year-old black man who was shot dead by a police officer in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, in 2015, after his car broke down and he called for roadside assistance.
“Now you have Markeis McGlockton here in Pinellas County, Florida, where the individual is the initial aggressor, starts the confrontation and then kills the unarmed black person and claims it’s self-defense,” Crump said.
