Yesterday San Francisco DA Brook Jenkins declined to charge a Walgreens security guard who had shot and killed a shoplifter. The guard’s name is Michael-Earl Wayne Anthony and the shoplifter was 24-year-old Banko Brown, a trans man who was apparently homeless. Here’s the DA’s announcement.

JUST IN: DA @BrookeJenkinsSF declined to file charges 

"This was a shoplifting that really based on the facts…escalated into a robbery and the armed security guard did ultimately end up using lethal force by firing one shot from his firearm that ultimately killed Banko Brown.” pic.twitter.com/m6BqHHgC1Q

— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) May 2, 2023

Before DA Jenkins announced her decision, protesters held a rally outside the closed Walgreens.

Activists rallied for Banko Brown this afternoon @KPIXtv pic.twitter.com/XmnpgjJcPF

— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) May 2, 2023

“We should be rioting right now.”

#BankoBrown pic.twitter.com/RNS5Ak8zE7

— WORLD PEACE MOVEMENT🌎🌍🌏 (@darren_stallcup) May 2, 2023

Some on Twitter are ranting about putting profits over people and insinuating Brown was killed merely for shoplifting. That was the tone of some of the statements about the shooting as well:

Xavier Davenport, Brown’s friend and mentor, said it made little sense for the security guard to kill the young man for shoplifting, saying it’s something that’s done every day in the city.

“A bunch of people steal from this Walgreens every single day. I know because I used to be a loss prevention manager for Old Navy for years, for almost more than a decade,” he told CBS. “Why this black young boy had to be taken away so senseless from something that everyone in this community and everyone around San Francisco does?”

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.”

Anthony was on duty last Thursday when he saw Banko Brown shoplifting, said a source with knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details. Anthony questioned Brown, and an altercation ensued. Brown threatened to stab Anthony, who had pulled out his gun but had not yet pointed it, the source said.

Anthony told Brown to leave the store. According to the source, that is when Brown approached Anthony, who fired his gun.

Anthony fired only one shot. It’s not clear if Brown actually had a knife at the time of the shooting or merely claimed he did. Still, Anthony asked him to leave and Brown could have done that. Instead, he turned and moved toward Anthony after making a threat to harm him. Brown was escalating the situation and Anthony can’t be expected to stand there and wait to find out if Brown actually has a knife. DA Jenkins basically concluded that Anthony had grounds to be afraid and was acting in self-defense.

I’ve seen one unconfirmed report that Anthony, the security guard, is black. In any case the evidence suggests Brown was shot because he threatened to stab Anthony, not because he was black or trans or homeless.

The SF Standard story concludes with a quote from Brown’s mother who, the Standard has decided used the wrong pronouns to describe Brown.

“We all have made mistakes. We all have made decisions that we are not proud of. But I know what [he] didn’t determine [his] death,” said Barbara Brown. “It didn’t justify for [him] to be killed. If [he] was hungry, it didn’t justify for [him] to be murdered.”

I really wish news outlets wouldn’t do that. If this family member knew Brown as she/her then we don’t need you to correct that for us.

Here’s a local news report on the decision not to file charges. At the very end of this you can see a bit of Brown’s mother making a statement using the pronouns she and her.