Security guard's killing of homeless 'shoplifter' with one shot caught on video
Shocking new surveillance footage shows the moment a private security guard shot and killed a suspected shoplifter at a busy store.
Banko Brown, a 24-year-old homeless man was not armed when he was shot dead at the Walgreens store.
Mr Brown, who identified as transgender, can be seen in the footage in a confrontation with the guard who tackled him before shooting him as he fled the store.
The San Francisco district attorney, Brooke Jenkins released the footage and cited self-defence in her decision not to charge the guard, Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony.
The video footage, which does not have sound, shows Mr Brown attempting to exit the store with a bag in his hand when Anthony stops him and punches him repeatedly.
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The two struggle until Anthony pins Banko Brown to the ground.
Banko Brown, a 24-year-old who was not shot outside a downtown Walgreens. on April 27 (NBC)When Anthony lets Mr Brown go, he picks up the bag and moves to exit the store.
He then turns around and appears to step towards Anthony, who lifts his gun and shoots once, killing Mr Brown.
Banko was a budding community organiser known for helping Black transgender youth and had been struggling with homelessness in the weeks before his death.
He had attempted to steal "some beverages and a few snacks" from the Walgreens store, according to the district attorney.
The incident has sparked public outcry amid reports of increased violence against homeless people in the US and negative perceptions of the trans community.
The footage, released by the San Francisco district attorney’s office on Monday and published by the San Francisco Chronicle, is taken from a distance inside the store and doesn’t have sound. (ABC7)Banko Brown was killed days before Jordan Neely, an unhoused street performer, was choked to death on a New York subway by a former marine, who is now facing manslaughter charges
In a statement released through the Young Women’s Freedom Center, a local non-profit group where Banko Brown was a volunteer organiser, they argued: “In a city like San Francisco, where so many have to make tough decisions to meet their basic needs, arming stores with the pass to use armed force will result in much more tragedy.”
"We do not need to see the video to know that Banko Brown's killing was unjustified," said Julia Arroyo, the center's co-executive director, in a statement Monday.
"Armed force is not a justified response to poverty. We must live with the sobering reality that he was killed for no other cause but $14."
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In her report on Monday, which was obtained by the Chronicle, the district attorney said there was “insufficient evidence to support the filing of criminal charges”.
Arroyo has described Banko Brown as smart and funny young man who, while shy, made friends easily.
Supervisor Dean Preston introduced legislation last week so that private security guards could not draw their firearms unless there is an actual and specific threat to a person
Walgreens, said in a statement that it is cooperating with law enforcement and could not provide further comment.
Walgreens, Target and other merchants downtown have complained about brazen shoplifting.
Whole Foods recently announced it would temporarily shutter a downtown location, citing employee safety.
State records show Anthony has been licensed as a security guard since 2012.
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