The girlfriend of a man who was shot dead last year during a confrontation over a disabled parking-space in Florida spoke out in court on Wednesday, recalling how she feared for her safety moments before the fatal gunshot rang out.
Britany Jacobs, 26, spoke publicly for the first time about the circumstances leading up to the death of her long-term boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, 28, at the Clearwater convenience store parking lot on July 19, 2018.
Michael Drejka, 49, shot and killed McGlockton after confronting Jacobs for parking in a handicapped zone, as she didn’t appear to have a disabled badge on her vehicle.
Jacobs recounted how she parked up the handicapped spot with McGlockton and their young children moments before, but as her partner went inside, she said she quickly became fearful when she noticed a man walking around her car, scoping the vehicle out.
Britany Jacobs, 26, spoke publicly for the first time about the circumstances leading up to the death of her long-term boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, 28, at the Clearwater convenience store parking lot on July 19, 2018
Michael Drejka (left), 49, shot and killed McGlockton (right) after confronting Jacobs for parking in a handicapped zone, as she hadn’t displayed a disabled badge on her vehicle
Cracking a window, the mother, who was three-months pregnant at the time, confronted the man – later identified to be Drejka – who questioned her as to why she’d parked in the spot.
‘I didn’t know who this strange, suspicious man was,’ she told court, sitting across from Drejka. ‘I just wanted this man to leave me alone … Leave me and my babies alone.’
She described Drejka’s demeanor as being ‘angry and aggressive’ towards her. The claim was later substantiated by witness Becki Conrad, who called the defendant ‘authoritative’ and ‘argumentative’ during the lengthy exchange.
Hoping to warn Drejka off, Jacobs said she asked him, ‘Do you want me to get my man?’ but the purported verbal warning shot on deaf ears and the argument persisted.
‘It was loud,’ Jacobs said of the heated exchange, saying passers-by soon took notice of the incident. ‘I said that as in maybe he’ll leave me alone. Maybe he’ll back off if he knows I have somebody with me.’
Drejka allegedly responded to the now mother-of-four that ‘yes’, she should fetch McGlockton, ‘if you want him to fight’.
Hoping to warn Drejka off, Jacobs said she asked him, ‘Do you want me to get my man?’ but the purported verbal warning shot on deaf ears and the argument persisted. ‘It was loud,’ Jacobs said of the heated exchange, saying passers-by soon took notice of the incident. ‘I said that as in maybe he’ll leave me alone. Maybe he’ll back off if he knows I have somebody with me.’
Drejka allegedly responded to the now mother-of-four that ‘yes’, she should fetch McGlockton, ‘if you want him to fight’
As the spat continued, one bystander went inside the store to tell the clerk about the dispute, advising them to call police.
Over hearing the conversation at the counter, McGlockton put down his shopping and ran outside the store.
‘Get away from my girl,’ the father said according to Jacobs’ recollection of the events, before he shoved Drejka hard to the ground.
Sitting bolt-up right from the asphalt, surveillance footage captured the moment Drejka reached into his waistband and pulled out a gun, aiming it at McGlockton.
McGlockton back-stepped as far away as he could from Drejka, but didn’t have far to retear with the car directly behind him. Jacobs, who was out of the car at the time, sidestepped to the left.
A shattering gunshot followed, with McGlockton clutching his chest and turning on his heel to stagger inside the store.
‘Help me,’ Jacobs screamed, Conrad recalled hearing from inside the store. ‘Help us!’
‘Get away from my girl,’ the father said according to Jacobs’ recollection of the events, before he shoved Drejka hard to the ground
This is the moment Drejka shot McGlockton, who was unarmed, after he had pushed him to the ground
McGlockton back-stepped as far away as he could from Drejka, but didn’t have far to go with the car directly behind him. Jacobs, who was out of the car at this time, sidestepped to the left. A shattering gunshot followed, with McGlockton clutching his chest and turning on his heel to stagger inside the store
Conrad then grabbed a T-Shirt from a rack inside the convenience store and told Jacobs to apply pressure to her ailing boyfriend’s wound.
Calling out to Drejka she asked if it was safe for her to come out to check on the couple’s children. He apparently replied that everything was fine and should have been all caught on video.
‘He stated everything very calmly,’ Conrad told the courtroom. ‘He was almost proud.’
Drejka – who says the footage is unreliable – was not arrested by police at the scene because of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law which makes it legal for citizens to defend themselves if they fear their lives are in danger.
Prosecutors charged him, however, with manslaughter and the trial began on Wednesday after more than a year of controversy.
The first witnesses was another African American man who told the court that Drejka had threatened to shoot him for parking in a handicapped five months before he shot McGlockton.
Police deputies who responded were also called as witnesses. They testified that he was ‘calm and collected’ after the shooting.
Drejka gave no significant facial reactions to the testimony but he took notes throughout the day.
Ten witnesses were called throughout Wednesday, the first day of the trial.
Rich Kelly recalled how in February 2018, he had parked in the same handicapped spot outside the Circle A food store where McGlockton died when he found Drejka taking photographs of his truck.
He confronted Drejka and, he said on Wednesday, Drejka told him he would have shot him if he’d had a gun.
The first trial witness was Rich Kelly who said Drejka threatened to shoot him for parking in the same spot four months earlier
McGlockton’s girlfriend Brittany Jacobs, who witnessed his death, was also called as a witness. She recalled how Drejka approached her vehicle and she told him to ‘go get her man’ if he wanted to fight
Kelly’s boss John Tyler (left) testified that Drejka called him and said he had threatened to shoot Kelly for parking in the same handicapped spot. The store owner also testified and said he was ‘nosy’
Drejka is not disabled and had no one with him on either occasion but he has said in the past that he gets upset when he sees people misusing handicapped spaces because his mother-in-law is disabled as was a former high school sweetheart who is now deceased.
Kelly, who works nearby, chose not to report the incident to police.
Drejka later called his boss, John Tyler, who also testified on Wednesday, to complain about him using the parking spot.
Tyler testified that Drejka also told him that he would have shot Kelly.
Drejka’s lawyers argued that he felt he was in danger and that McGlockton had ecstasy in his system at the time of the incident.
His attorneys argued that justice is ‘blind’, that the shooting had nothing to do with race and that he should not be held liable for the younger man’s death.
‘What happened here was unfortunate.
‘The use of deadly force was justifiable because Michael Drejka reasonably believed that force was necessary,’ his lawyer, Bryant Camareno, told the courtroom.
Drejka’s lawyers argued that he felt he was in danger and that McGlockton had ecstasy in his system at the time of the incident. His attorneys argued that justice is ‘blind’, that the shooting had nothing to do with race and that he should not be held liable for the younger man’s death. ‘What happened here was unfortunate. ‘The use of deadly force was justifiable because Michael Drejka reasonably believed that force was necessary,’ his lawyer, Bryant Camareno (left), told the courtroom
They invoked the 21 foot rule – a term used by law enforcement in reference to the widely held notion that by the time an officer has identified a threat, reached for their weapon and drawn it a suspect could have come 21ft closer to them, saying he acted quickly and had no time to think about race.
Pinellas-Pasco Assistant State Attorney Fred Schaub told members of the jury that Drejka ‘took the life of another human being without any legal justification.
‘McGlockton did not have a weapon,’ Schaub said. ‘You’ll hear testimony from the medical examiner that shows McGlockton was shot in the side. He was turning when he got shot.’
Camereno however retorted the claim in his opening statement, asking the jury to view the footage in real time, not slow motion, and to consider how Drejka perceived the events.
‘While Mr. McGlockton had no weapon, he was the weapon,’ Camareno said. ‘Our client did not provoke this situation at all.’
The trial entered its third day Wednesday, and is expected to continue for another two or three weeks.