Global Courant 2023-05-16 03:41:14
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office
Disturbing new footage revealed Monday that Banko Brown, the suspected shoplifter who was fatally shot by a security guard at Walgreens in San Francisco last month, was backing out of the store when a single shot was fired to his chest.
Prosecutors released the graphic clip along with an announcement Monday that Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, 33, will not face criminal charges for the death of Brown, a 24-year-old black man.
The security footage showed Brown and Anthony fighting at the entrance of the store, with the security guard punching Brown repeatedly before putting him in a headlock and pinning him to the ground. Anthony pulled his gun when they broke up and later told police he did so because Brown threatened to stab him, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office wrote in a long report on Monday.
Brown managed to get to his feet, grab a bag of what prosecutors described as “stolen merchandise,” and back up through the entrance making a short, sudden movement toward Anthony. Less than two seconds later, Anthony fired a single shot from his handgun, and Brown collapsed on the sidewalk outside.
A few witnesses named in Jenkins’ report recalled seeing Brown spit at Anthony just before the shot was fired. One such witness said that “spit, flinch, and firing all seemed to happen at the same time,” the report said.
Jenkins previously said the disturbing clip “clearly” showed Anthony acting in self-defense on April 27.
She backed up that statement Monday, saying in her report, “Anthony acted in lawful self-defense when he fired his gun at Brown. Therefore, at this time there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal charge against Anthony for Brown’s death.”
However, Shamann Walton, a supervisor from San Francisco, described the shooting The San Francisco standard as an “execution”, saying that Anthony “had the upper hand” the entire time.
Similarly, Brown’s father, Terry Brown, expressed outrage at Jenkins’ determination to self-defense.
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“She knows Banko was out of the store. They had a fight,” he said Mission Local. “You’ve already beaten him up—and then he’s out of the shop—he’s no threat to him. And that’s self defense? This does not make sense.”
The disturbing images — and lack of charges — are expected to fuel local protests San Francisco Chronicle reported.
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