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A GameStop clerk in Florida has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly shooting and killing a suspected shoplifter. According to USA Today, police say the employee believed the suspected shoplifter was stealing Pokémon trading cards.
According to AP News, the incident occurred Tuesday evening in Pembroke Pines, Florida. USA Today adds that 33-year-old Derrick Guerrero was working in the store when he allegedly noticed an “adult male” shoplifting.
Guerrero reportedly informed police that the male took “five boxes of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet ‘ultra-premium’ trading cards.” Then, the man ran, attempting to exit the store, per AP News.
The outlet notes that each box of the Pokémon cards retail for $120.
According to USA Today, the incident escalated when Guerrero allegedly pulled a “concealed firearm” from his waistband. Authorities say the GameStop employee reportedly shot the suspected shoplifter once, injuring him in his torso.
AP News adds that the suspect “dropped the cards” and ran toward a waiting getaway car. There, a woman reportedly called authorities and transported the man to a hospital. However, the man, whose identity has been publicly released, died at the facility “three hours later.”
According to AP News, authorities have revealed that the suspected shoplifter “never threatened Guerrero” or “displayed any weapons.” Additionally, the outlet notes that Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law” only enables someone to use “deadly force” to protect themselves or others if they’re faced with a “threat of death or great bodily harm.”
The outlet adds that Guerrero is being held at the Broward County Jail on $25,000 bail. Furthermore, AP News reports that GameStop has yet to respond to the publication’s request for comment via phone or email.
As The Shade Room previously reported, a similar incident unfolded in a Walgreens in San Francisco, California, in April. During that incident, the store’s security guard, Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, reportedly attempted to stop a suspected shoplifter from leaving the store by pointing a gun at the man.
The suspect, Banko Brown, allegedly lunged at the security guard, prompting Anthony to shoot his firearm, fatally striking Brown in the chest.
Anthony’s employer seemingly defended his actions at the time by stating that “guards… were to actively work to retrieve or recover any stolen items.”
Ultimately, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declined to press charges against Anthony, leading to massive protests.
