Florida man in ‘stand your ground’ shooting gets 20 year prison sentence

A white man who fatally shot an unarmed black man in Florida during a parking dispute has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Michael Drejka, who was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Markeis McGlockton in Clearwater, was sentenced Thursday by Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Joseph Bulone, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 

{mosads}The July 2018 incident began after McGlockton parked in a handicap spot outside a convenience store with his girlfriend Britany Jacob and children. Drejka approached Jacob and yelled at her, saying the car didn’t have a handicap permit.

Surveillance video showed McGlockton pushing Drejka to the ground. Drejka then pulled out a gun and shot McGlockton in the chest.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at first declined to arrest Drejka, citing the controversial “stand your ground’’ law that permits people to use deadly force if they are concerned about “imminent death or great bodily harm.’’

Prosecutors later charged him.

Bulone explained his process for deciding on the 20-year sentence and called Drejka a “wannabe law enforcement officer.” The judge also referenced the surveillance video.

“Let me say this about the video: Believe your own eyes,” Bulone said. “If you look at that video, Markeis is not advancing.”

According to the Tampa Bay Times, McGlockton’s family asked the court to sentence Drejka to 30 years in prison, the maximum allowed under Florida law.

“Markeis was loved by so many and because of you, Michael Drejka, my son is now a memory,” said McGlockton’s mother, Monica Moore-Robinson. “I don’t hate you, but I will never forgive you.”

Drejka’s wife, Cara, asked for leniency in a letter that was read before the court, according to the newspaper. She called her husband a “kind, loving, caring hard-working supportive man.”