A GameStop employee now faces manslaughter charges after fatally shooting a man who tried leaving his store with unpaid merchandise.
The employee, 33-year-old Derrick Guerrero, was working at a store in Pembroke Pines, Florida, Tuesday night when he noticed a man trying to shoplift, police said.
According to the Associated Press, the man ran toward the business' front door with five boxes of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet "ultra-premium" trading cards, which retail for $120 a box.
Guerrero then pulled a "concealed firearm" from his waistband and fired a single shot, striking the male victim in the torso, police said.
"At no time did the victim threaten Guerrero or display any type of weapon," Pembroke Pines Police Department said in a release.
The man was transported to a nearby hospital soon after, but he died there three hours later as a result of his injuries, police reported.
Guerrero was taken into custody on a manslaughter charge and was released on bond Thursday.
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After his release, he "repeatedly apologized" for the incident, according to NBC Miami.
"I'm really sorry for the family," Guerrero said to reporters. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen to the family. It wasn't my intention. I'm extremely sorry for the family."
Police said Guerrero bought the gun for protection after a September robbery at the GameStop. In court Wednesday, according to NBC Miami, Guerrero's defense attorney said his client had been honorably discharged from the Marines after serving for 10 years and that he had been moving up in the ranks at GameStop while taking care of his wife and two daughters.
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