San Francisco’s district attorney has released surveillance video showing the moment a Walgreens security guard fatally shot an alleged shoplifter in late April.
The release of the footage showing the events leading to the death of Banko Brown comes as District Attorney Brooke Jenkins reiterated Monday that she will not charge the security guard in the incident, identified as Michael-Earl Wayne Anthony, after being unable to find evidence to refute his “reasonable self-defense claim in court.”
“With the video that has no sound, no audio to it, it is difficult to have context to what is going on, and that is why we must listen to the security guard’s statement, the witness statements, and everything else in order to look at the full picture of the incident,” Jenkins said Monday while also releasing police records about the April 27 shooting.
“I would also remind everyone that as prosecutors it is our burden to ensure that we can prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt to 12 jurors. That is the standard of proof when we make a charging decision,” she added. “And in this case we had to decide whether or not we had the sufficient evidence to prove this case to 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt. It was our conclusion that we did not have such evidence and that is why we have arrived at this decision at this time.”
SAN FRANCISCO DA DECLINES TO CHARGE WALGREENS SECURITY GUARD WHO SHOT, KILLED ALLEGED SHOPLIFTER
Michael-Earl Wayne Anthony and Banko Brown are seen engaging in a physical struggle at the Walgreens at 901 Market Street on April 27. (San Francisco District Attorney’s Office)
The footage begins with Anthony standing near the door of the Walgreens before confronting Brown, who appears to try to exit the store while holding a bag of items.
The pair then engage in a physical struggle, and Anthony can be seen throwing punches at Brown.
Anthony is later seen holding Brown down on the floor as customers file in and out of the store. After releasing her, she gets up, grabs her bag and walks out of the store before turning around and appearing to gesture at Anthony.
That is when Anthony fired a shot at Brown, causing her to fall backward onto the sidewalk outside.
Brown, 24, was taken to a hospital and died after suffering gunshot wounds.
In a police report released Monday, Anthony told investigators that Brown said, “I’m gonna stab you! I’m gonna stab your a–!” during the struggle.
Anthony appears to be holding a gun in his hand in the moment before Brown was shot. (San Francisco District Attorney’s Office)
“She looked like she was going to leave, but then she turned back towards me. I didn’t know what her intention was at that time, ‘but it turns out her intention was to spit on me… by her turning around and advancing that’s when I lifted my gun and shot once,’” the report added, citing Anthony.
“I didn’t want to end no life. That was not my intention. I just wanted to stop the threat,” Anthony also said, according to police.
While Anthony was restraining Brown on the floor, a witness whom police said had an “unobstructed view of the incident from beginning to end” told police they heard Brown say “let me go and I’ll fight you one on one” before Anthony responded “I’ll let you go if you calm the f— down.”
But San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton said in a statement Monday that the video does not show justification for the shooting. He plans to join Board President Aaron Peskin in calling on the state attorney general for an independent review of the prosecutor’s decision.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is not pursuing charges in the case. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Brown, who struggled with homelessness, according to The Associated Press, worked as a community organizer for the Young Women’s Freedom Center, a nonprofit that provides support for young women and trans youth.
“We do not need to see the video to know that Banko Brown’s killing was unjustified. Armed force is not a justified response to poverty,” said Julia Arroyo, the center’s co-executive director, in a statement Monday. “We must live with the sobering reality that [she] was killed for no other cause but $14.”
Fox News’ Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
