PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — The assistant manager of a South Florida GameStop store is accused of fatally shooting a suspected shoplifter who was allegedly stealing several boxes of expensive Pokemon cards, authorities said.
Derrick Leonel Guerrero, 33, of Pembroke Pines, was charged with manslaughter in the Tuesday evening incident in Pembroke Pines, according to Broward County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.
According to a news release from the Pembroke Pines Police Department, Guerrero allegedly observed the man shoplifting merchandise from the store at about 8:14 p.m.
A police incident report noted that the man had grabbed five boxes of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Ultra-Premium Collection trading cards from behind the register, the Sun-Sentinel reported. The boxes are valued at $120 apiece, according to the incident report.
According to the Pembroke Pines police news release, the man was confronted by Guerrero and then attempted to leave the store.
Police said that Guerrero “retrieved a concealed firearm from his waistband,” firing one shot that struck the man in the torso.
Before the shooting, the man allegedly asked Guerrero to bring him some merchandise from the back of the store, WPLG-TV reported.
“When the manager went to retrieve that merchandise, the victim went behind the front counter of the business to shoplift some merchandise and leave the store with that merchandise,” Pembroke Pines police Maj. Al Xiques told reporters.
“At no time did the victim threaten Guerrero or display any type of weapon,” the Pembroke Police Department said in its news release.
Police added that Guerrero had been the victim of a robbery at the store in September and had bought the gun for protection, WTVJ reported.
The man’s name was redacted from the incident report due to the state’s Marsy’s Law, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Marsy’s Law is a Florida constitutional amendment passed in 2018 that shields victims’ identities from the public.
Police found the man unresponsive outside the store in the front passenger seat of a Ford F150, according to the newspaper. He was pronounced dead after he was taken to an area hospital.
“The victim was shot and subsequently ran into a vehicle that was awaiting which was being driven by his girlfriend and they left the scene,” Xiques told reporters. “The girlfriend stopped within the plaza and called 911 due to the fact that the victim was unresponsive in the front seat.”
A defense attorney said on Wednesday that Guerrero, married with two daughters, had been honorably discharged after serving in the Marines and had been “moving up in the ranks” at GameStop, WTVJ reported.
Guerrero is being held in the Broward County Main Jail, online records show. Bail was set at $25,000 bond.