San Francisco DA releases graphic footage of Walgreens security guard shooting trans shoplifter

The San Francisco district attorney has released graphic footage of a Walgreens security guard shooting a transgender shoplifter to death — and said she won’t charge him because he was in “mortal danger.”

Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, 33, was working at the downtown drugstore on April 27 when he shot and killed unarmed Banko Brown, 24. A murder charge against Anthony was dropped after the district attorney ruled that the murder was self-defense.

Graphic surveillance footage released Monday shows Brown clutching a bag as he walks toward the store’s exit. Anthony steps in his path, confronts him about alleged theft from the store, leading to a scuffle before Brown is shot.

His death sparked outrage throughout the Bay Area, but despite demands to charge Anthony, DA Brooke Jenkins’ office announced Monday that they would not.

Newly released video shows the moment a security guard at Walgreens shot and killed Banko Brown (pictured), but San Francisco prosecutors refused to charge him

The surveillance footage shows Brown walking out of the store in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants as the confrontation and struggle between him and the security guard unfolds.

Anthony is able to pin Brown to the ground, but then lets him go and Brown walks out of the store, still clutching his bag. More words are exchanged and then Brown appears to move slightly forward with his arms outstretched, then backs away just as Anthony shoots him.

Brown collapses on the sidewalk outside the store and a crowd of people gather around him. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

Anthony was originally booked on suspicion of murder the day after the shooting, but was subsequently released without charge after District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Anthony was in “mortal danger” and “acted in self-defense.”

In the report released Monday, the prosecutor called “insufficient evidence” that his actions amounted to a charge of murder or manslaughter. Instead, the evidence showed that Anthony was “genuinely scared,” the district attorney’s office said.

His death sparked outrage throughout the Bay Area, but despite the many demands to charge Anthony, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office said Monday they would not charge him

The surveillance footage shows Brown walking out of the store in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants as the confrontation and struggle between him and the security guard unfolds.

Brown and Anthony engage in a violent battle before Brown is fatally shot

Anthony is able to pin Brown to the ground, but then lets him go and Brown walks out of the store, still clutching his bag.

More words are exchanged and then Brown appears to move slightly forward with his arms outstretched, then backs away just as Anthony shoots him. He collapsed on the sidewalk in front of the store

“All of this evidence strongly suggests that Anthony shooting Brown in self-defense was objectively reasonable,” the agency’s report reads.

The report also notes that Anthony alleged that Brown had repeatedly threatened to stab him. However, investigators found no knife at the scene or on Brown, the SF chronicle reported.

Protests had already started after the last week to drop the charges against Anthony and at a meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, activists held up signs reading “Justice for Banko Brown.”

A protester, identifying herself as Lia McGeever, burst into a scream over the death of Brown, who was homeless and an intern at the Young Women’s Freedom Center.

She said, “I hate a lot of people on this board for the reasons that led to Banko Brown’s death.

Participants light candles in Brown’s honor during a vigil

Floral tributes and candles were left in Banko’s memory

Speaking to The San Francisco Standard, Anthony said, “[I’m] am still working on it, still don’t understand and don’t have time to think.

“It’s not like I see this often. This is a life-changing case.”

Pointing to the pressures guards face during these kinds of confrontations, Anthony said, “This is important for more people to be more aware of,” he said. It happened too often.

“It’s a lot to deal with. It’s a lot of pressure. A person can only take so much. When you’re limited to certain options, something happens.’

‘Who’s behind me? No one. You are left with no support. It’s a frightening feeling with a lot of people around you.’

Last week, a group of community activists gathered outside the Walgreens in downtown San Francisco for a vigil in honor of Brown’s memory.

Pictured: Protesters at Monday’s vigil

Floral tributes and candles were left in memory of Brown, while the city’s Young Women’s Freedom Center hosted it.

In a social media post, they said, “Our community stands strong together in the face of tragedy.

“In times like these, we stand up for each other and fight for our parents, especially for our siblings who were taken from us way too soon.

“Thank you to every voice that has spoken, every foot that has marched and every fist that has been raised in solidarity.”

It comes after a number of major chains announced they would close their stores in San Francisco due to rising crime rates.

Retailers including Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Office Depot and Anthropologie have all announced they are closing stores in the city.

Jamie Nordstrom, Nordstrom’s chief stores officer, has blamed the state of San Francisco for reducing foot traffic “and our ability to operate successfully” in recent years.

Remaining stores like Target have been reduced to locking their entire inventory behind glass to deter shoplifters.