CLEARWATER, Fla. — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced a new GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Britany Jacobs, the fiance of the man gunned down earlier this year outside a Clearwater convenience store. The tragedy made national headlines when video of the shooting hit the internet. In it, Michael Drejka, white, shot and killed an unarmed Markeis McGlockton and claimed he was “standing his ground.”
When the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office failed to arrest or charge Michael Drejka as a result, the incident became a national issue, prompting Pinellas County to at last move to make an arrest.
Drejka is now scheduled to go to trial in August 2019 on charges of manslaughter. Crump meanwhile continues to focus on helping his client, Jacobs, who announced on Friday that she is pregnant with McGlockton’s fourth child.
“Britany is a young mother who has endured unbearable loss because of a quick-triggered bully who has tried to hide behind Florida’s outrageous and racist ‘stand your ground’ law. This child will never know his or her father. Britany must go on, raising four children, without the support and care her beloved life partner Markeis provided so well for them,” Crump said. “We implore our community to support this GoFundMe effort to help ease the burden on our dear sister, especially in this holiday season.”
Donations can be made at gofundme.com/mcglockton-memorial-fund, and funds raised will go directly to Jacobs. None of the funds will be used toward legal or other case-related fees.
During the press conference, Crump also addressed recent news that the Florida Supreme Court has extended “stand your ground” immunity to police. Under the ruling, police can now be declared immune from prosecution and avoid a trial in certain circumstances.
“The ‘stand your ground’ law is a huge problem, now made even worse by a Florida Supreme Court ruling this month that extends its protections to law enforcement,” Crump said. “‘Stand your ground’ was sold to us as a law that extends protection to people who defend their homes, not one that provides blanket protections for police officers who err in the course of their sworn duty. I respectfully believe the Supreme Court got it wrong on this case. The police have enough legal protections. Innocent black Americans who are the frequent victims of implicit bias do not. It’s time to repeal or revise ‘stand your ground’ before more blood is shed.”
