FILE – In an Oct. 19, 2018 file photo, attorney Bryant Camareno talks to his client defendant Michael Drejka during a pretrial hearing, at the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center in Clearwater, Fla. The manslaughter trial of Drejka, accused of fatally shooting an unarmed black man in a Florida parking lot, will focus on the state’s controversial “stand your ground law.” (Scott Keeler/The Tampa Bay Times via AP, File)
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Jurors are set to hear opening arguments in the trial of a white man who is accused of fatally shooting an unarmed black man during a dispute over a parking space in Florida.
Opening arguments were set Wednesday for a Clearwater courtroom.
Five men and a woman were seated as jurors Tuesday for the trial of 49-year-old Michael Drejka. He’s accused of shooting Markeis McGlockton in July 2018.
Prosecutors say Drejka confronted McGlockton’s girlfriend for parking in a handicapped space. Convenience store video recorded McGlockton leaving the store and shoving Drejka to the ground. Seconds later, Drejka pulled a handgun and shot 28-year-old McGlockton as he backed away. McGlockton ran inside the store, where he collapsed and died.
The trial is expected to last two to three weeks.
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