Alleged Pokémon Card Thief Shot Dead, Shooter Charged
The Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam recently stopped offering special Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat cards because of safety concerns for its museum-goers. And a new story coming out of Florida shows that on rare occasions, some people are known to become violent over Pokémon merchandise.
According to The Associated Press via ABC News, the crime occurred at a GameStop store located in a suburban Fort Lauderdale strip mall on Tuesday, October 17. A man — whose name has not been made public — allegedly seized five boxes of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet “ultra-premium” trading cards and made a run for it. Different Pokémon cards can go for different amounts, and each of these boxes would be $120, meaning it would be $600 of stolen merchandise.
While the man was running, 33-year-old Derrick Guerrero, an employee at GameStop, allegedly pulled a handgun from his waist and shot the man once in the side. That was the only shot fired. The man let go of the cards and managed to get outside. The police were called, and the man was hospitalized. Three hours later, he was dead.
Florida has what’s called a “stand your ground” law that says people are allowed to use deadly force to protect themselves from death or severe bodily harm. Authorities report that the man never imperiled Guerrero and never showed any weapons, and that the only thing in danger was property, not people. And so this shooting would not count under the “stand your ground” law.
Guerrero has been charged with the crime of manslaughter and is currently in the Broward County Jail. He would need $25,000 to post bail. Cornell Law School gave this legal description for manslaughter:
“Manslaughter is the act of killing another human being without malice. It is a general intent crime that is distinct from murder because it requires less culpability.”
Source: The Associated Press via ABC News
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
