The family of an alleged Walgreens shoplifter is demanding a life sentence for the security guard who killed him.
Banko Brown - a 24-year-old Black trans man - was shopping at a Walgreens in San Francisco on April 27 when he was stopped by Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, a security guard who believed Brown had been shoplifting.
Footage was recently released that shows the moment Brown was stopped before the two had an altercation that ultimately led to Anthony shooting Brown on the sidewalk outside the store. In the short clip Anthony, who has been a licensed guard since 2012, stepping in to stop Brown from leaving Walgreens before Anthony begins to repeatedly punch Brown.
After the two are struggling for several seconds, Anthony puts Brown in a chokehold and forces him onto the floor. Anthony then lets Brown stand up and Brown picks up his bag and walks toward the door. Brown then turns around on his way out and seems to make a move toward Anthony, who shoots Brown once.
Anthony later stated in a police interview that he suspected Brown had shoplifted, and had asked Brown to put the items back. He also added that he believed Brown was the aggressor and that he'd fought to keep the items in his shopping bag, per The New York Post.
The outlet also detailed that, according to Anthony, Brown had kept threatening to stab him after he was told by Anthony to calm down. Anthony reportedly said that he let go of Brown, and drew his gun but pointed it at the floor in case Brown came at him.
He said he shot Brown when the alleged shoplifter tried to charge at him, realizing too late that Brown was only going to spit at him. Brown reportedly did not have a knife on him.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has received outrage after she revealed that she believed there was nothing to disprove Anthony's claim of self-defense. She also urged people not to rely on the video of the shooting alone to form their opinion, CNN explained.
Following the incident, the district attorney's office released a statement that revealed Anthony will likely not be charged over Brown's death, saying: "Given the totality of the circumstances, including the threat that Anthony believed, and could reasonably believe, the evidence shows that Brown's shooting was not a criminal act because Anthony acted in lawful self-defense. Thus, Anthony is not criminally liable for the death of Brown."
Though having seen the footage, Brown's family disagrees that Anthony should not be held criminally liable for his death. The family's attorney John Burris - who represented late rapper Tupac Shakur in a civil lawsuit against the police - told CNN that Anthony's actions were "way beyond what was reasonable and necessary."
He added: "Stopping someone and talking to them is different than stopping them and beating them up and ultimately killing them."
TMZ detailed that the family is even demanding Anthony receive a life sentence over the shooting.
