Attorneys for the Florida man found guilty of fatally shooting an unarmed black man in a gas station parking lot said their client was beaten inside a state prison and now has been placed in protective custody.
NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reports the incident took place inside a facility west of Gainesville, where Michael Drejka was beaten by another inmate who put a lock inside a sock and struck him with it.
“They apparently attacked him with that,” attorney Bryant Camareno told the station “We’re all concerned, myself, Mr. Trevena, the rest of the defense team.”
State officials confirmed the attack, where Drejka reported required five stiches, and said he has been separated from the general population as an investigation continues.
Drejka was found guilty in the 2018 shooting of Markeis McGlockton during an argument over a handicapped parking spot outside a Clearwater store. He attempted to use the state’s Stand Your Ground law as his defense, which was later denied, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter.
