"I did not know who this strange and suspicious man was"

LARGO – Britany Jacobs was sitting, wearing a black dress, her shoulders folded and her voice low.

She turned to the nine men and women on the jury, six of whom would decide whether the death of her boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, was a crime or a legitimate act of self-defense.

She leaned toward the microphone and told her story.

"I was scared," she said. "I did not know who this strange and suspicious man was."

She would learn that the man was Michael Drejka. In court on Wednesday, he was sitting in front of Jacobs, close enough to be identified by his light blue shirt. Jacobs' testimony took place on the third day of Drejka's murder trial.

The day began with passionate pleadings from both sides, followed by compelling testimony from witnesses to the July 19, 2018 shooting.

TEST GUIDE: Who is who, calendar and links for complete coverage.

LIVE BLOG: Catch up on what happened in court.

Fred Schaub, Deputy Attorney General of Pinellas-Pasco, explained to the jury what happened. He told them how Drejka had been arguing with Jacobs because she had parked in a disabled area, outside the Circle A food store, near Clearwater. He told them how McGlockton had gone out, approached Drejka and pushed him to the ground.

Then the prosecutor explained to them how Drejka pulled out his gun and shot McGlockton in the chest.

"He took the life of another human being without any legal justification," Schaub told the jury.

Lawyer Bryant Camareno, who made the opening statement of the defense, said a surveillance video recorded the confrontation. He asked the jury to post it in real time, not in slow motion, and examine how Drejka had perceived the events.

"Although Mr. McGlockton did not have a weapon, he was the weapon," Camareno said.

Then, the state began to assemble its resources, questioning witnesses who had spoken of a confrontation five months before McGlockton's death. Drejka had a fight with a truck driver who parked in the same car park.

"I should shoot you and kill you," recalls Drejka, truck driver Richard Kelly.

But the most emotional testimony comes from Jacobs, 26, who at the time of the shooting was working as a licensed practical nurse. At the witness stand, she called McGlockton her "soul mate and partner". The couple had three young children together at the time of the shooting. She had her fourth child in January, after her death.

On the day of the shooting, the family was in the car when Jacobs entered the Circle A Food Store, a place they often visited. She told the jury that she had parked in a parking spot reserved for disabled people, as she often saw other people parking at that location.

McGlockton went inside with their eldest son while Jacobs stayed in the car with the other two children. This is where a white man in sunglasses started walking around his car. Worried, she broke open to open her window.

Drejka asked her why she parked there because her car did not have a disability sign. He was acting "angry and aggressive," Jacobs told the jury. She and McGlockton are black.

She was not the only witness to describe Drejka that way. The jury also heard from third parties. One, Vicki Conrad, said that Drejka was doing "authority" and "was argumentative".

Robert Castelli, the other spectator, said: "He was threatening and was heading towards the car."

As the argument intensified, Jacobs asked her if she should have McGlockton.

"I said that because maybe he'll leave me alone," he said. "Maybe he will retire if he knows I have someone with me,"

She said that Drejka had replied, "Yes, if you want him to fight."

"So the person who started the battle first was the accused?" Asked the prosecutor Scott Rosenwasser.

"Okay," said Jacobs.

As discussions continued, Castelli entered the store to inform the clerk of the conflict. McGlockton, at the counter, put his things down and walked out of the store.

Jacobs saw it coming, she said. Drejka's defense team said it was a strange thing if she was scared. His reasoning was that "if something were to happen, it would happen on the outside of the car, not inside the car with my babies."

"Move away from my daughter," said McGlockton, she testified, before pushing Drejka to the ground.

Then Drejka pulled out the gun. McGlockton backed as far as he could with the car in his path, said Jacobs. She moved to the left. Castelli, who went outside thinking that he should break up the fight, squatted between two cars.

Then came the shot.

McGlockton grabbed his side and returned to the store. Jacobs ran after him.

Inside, Conrad heard Jacobs shout.

"Help me!" She says. "Help us!"

Conrad grabbed a t-shirt from the store and asked Jacobs to put pressure on McGlockton's injury. She then left the store to make sure the couple's children were in contact. She saw Drejka sitting on the sidewalk. She asked if it was ok to go out.

Drejka told him that everything was fine, she said, that everything had been filmed.

"He said everything very calmly," said Conrad, "almost proud."

Daily test cover

DAY 1: Michael Drejka's parking lot shooting kicks off on day two of jury selection | Live Blog | Summary Facebook Live

DAY 2: Live Blog | Summary Facebook Live

Day 3: The girlfriend of the victim expresses herself in Drejka's trial: "I did not know who this strange and suspicious man was" | Direct | Live Blog | Summary Facebook Live

Past cover

ORIGINAL HISTORY: No arrest in a deadly shootout during a dispute over a parking space reserved for the disabled

No arrest in a deadly shootout during a dispute over a parking space reserved for the disabled (July 20, 2018)

In the last case "stand your ground", a question: who started? (August 3, 2018)

Records show driving rage, gun threats in the past of your shooter on the ground (August 9, 2018)

Markeis McGlockton: artist, loving father and much more than a simple hashtag (August 31, 2018)

A shooter accused of manslaughter in Clearwater (August 13, 2018)

Michael Drejka: "I followed the law the way I thought the law was supposed to be followed." (August 31, 2018)

Michael Drejka released on bail in Clearwater parking incident (September 24, 2018)

You think you know how to stay on your land? The Clearwater case tells us that you are probably wrong. (August 27, 2018)

Why video makes Florida a different topic of discussion (August 24, 2018)

Gun Threat Permitted in Clearwater Parking Shooter Trial (April 26, 2019)

The defense of Michael Drejka's defense will be entrusted to a jury and not to a judge. (May 31, 2019)

The defense of Michael Drejka wants to call a surprise witness: sheriff Pinellas Bob Gualtieri (June 17, 2019)