A San Francisco security guard who shot and killed an alleged shoplifter last week will not face charges, authorities said Monday.
The guard, identified as Michael-Earl Wayne Anthony, was released from police custody after San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced her office would not prosecute him, saying he believed his life was in danger during a confrontation with Banko Brown last Thursday.
"After careful review of all of the evidence gathered by the San Francisco Police Department in this case, my office will not be pursuing murder charges, at this time, in connection to the shooting," she said in a statement.
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"We reviewed witness statements, statements from the suspect, and video footage of the incident and it does not meet the People’s burden to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that the suspect is guilty of a crime," Jenkins added. "The evidence clearly shows that the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense."
The shooting occurred around 6:30 p.m. on April 27 at a Walgreens. Officers found Brown, 24, with gunshot wounds. She was taken to a hospital where she died.
Protesters held a rally Monday to demonstrate against Jenkins' decision. They called on Walgreens to eliminate armed guards, saying nothing in the store was worth Brown's life.
"It's insane that Walgreens has armed security, there's nothing in that store worth a human life, and Walgreens is not taking care of our community," Jessica Nowlan from Young Women's Freedom Center, told Fox San Francisco. "We demand an end to armed security."
The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club said it didn't know the full details of the shooting but that the "murder" was "tragic and senseless."
"Banko's murder is also a reminder that ensuring the safety of our trans siblings goes beyond proclaiming our acceptance and love for trans people; it requires us to address systemic issues like poverty, homelessness and anti-Black racism."
Walgreens and other retail stores have seen a spike in thefts in recent years as brazen thieves have ransacked stores in front of stunned onlookers.
The National Retail Federation’s 2022 retail security survey ranked San Francisco/Oakland as the second-most hard-hit metropolitan area by theft in 2020 and 2021, behind Los Angeles. New York City was third while Houston placed fourth.
In 2021, Walgreens closed several stores in San Francisco because of theft.
