CLEARWATER, Fla. — As opening statements began in the trial of Michael Drejka, the McGlockton family's attorney released a statement about the jurors selected.
Drejka, 49, is facing a manslaughter charge in the 2018 shooting death of Markeis McGlockton after a dispute over a parking spot at a Clearwater convenience store.
The McGlockton family's attorney, Michele Rayner-Goolsby, released a statement Wednesday morning that expressed disappointment in the lack of black jurors seated for the trial.
"We are disappointed that no black jurors were selected because the victim in this case was a black man from this community, and there's elements of his lived-experience, along with cultural realities related to being a black person in the South, that will likely come up in the proceedings," Rayner-Goolsby said.
"However, we acknowledge that there was a potential for a black juror, but she was reluctantly dismissed due to reasons not related to her race," Rayner-Goolsby said. "We are hopeful that the jury will be impartial and consider the hard facts of this case."
Five men and one woman will decide the fate of Drejka in the high-profile trial. The court took two days to decide wh would be on the jury.
Opening statements from Drejka's defense team and the prosecution began Wednesday. Testimony from McGlockton's girlfriend, Brittney Jacobs, is also expected Wednesday.
Jacobs was in the car with their two children at the time of the shooting.
In the release, the family of McGlockton also said that "they have waited for this day since their son was taken (from) them a year ago."
"We're trying to stay positive and are praying that the jury will see that Drejka had multiple opportunities to retreat, "McGlockton's mother, Monica Moore-Robinson said. "He did not have to kill Markeis, who was unarmed and retreating at the time he was shot in front of his girlfriend and children. We hope the jury sees that what happened to our child is a grave injustice that has changed the lives of our family forever."
Opening statements were scheduled to begin at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. The case will be streamed in its entirety on wtsp.com. You can also catch the opening statements on the 10News Facebook and YouTube pages.
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