The private security guard accused in the shooting death of a person at a Walgreens in San Francisco has been released from custody.
He was booked into jail on a homicide charge last week but on Monday, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she is not pressing charges.
She said that after reviewing all the evidence, her office wouldn’t be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury that the security guard is guilty of a crime.
“My heart pours out for them, I truly understand, all I can do is reassure them that we have done everything we believe is right according to the law in this case,” said Jenkins.
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The release of the private security guard, 33-year old Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony comes just hours after a memorial was held for 24-year old Chynna Brown, known to family and friends as Banko.
“This is an example of multiple failures, not just this corporation," said an Oakland community member.
The crowd and growing memorial surrounded the front of the Walgreens store on Market Street in San Francisco.
That’s where the private security guard allegedly shot and killed Brown Thursday evening.
Citing a preliminary investigation, police say a theft occurred during the incident, but didn’t provide further information.
"It's never easy to come to a conclusion that you can't provide the form of justice a family wants in these types of cases. It's something that we take very seriously and this was a very tough situation and a tough conclusion to arrive at," said Jenkins. "But I have an obligation to make sure that we only charge people that we truly believe that we legally could prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and I have to let that standard govern every decision that I make. Even when my heart pours out for a family."
Brown’s mother addressed the crowd outside Walgreens, saying the death of her child is unjust and unfair.
“I’m gonna say it again, if she was hungry, it does not justify her being killed. It does not justify her being killed,” she said.
