GameStop employee charged after fatally shooting customer stealing Pokemon cards
Screenshot/local10Police have arrested a Florida man who works at GameStop after allegedly pulling a gun on a shoplifter stealing Pokemon cards and fatally shooting him.
It’s not uncommon to see violence and theft at retail stores in 2023, but a recent incident at a Florida GameStop shows why sometimes it’s better when employees just don’t get involved.
On October 17, an employee at a Pembroke Pines GameStop in Miami took matters into his own hands after a brutal altercation with a customer attempting to shoplift Pokemon cards became fatal.
According to Pembroke Pines Police, at 8:16 on Tuesday, 33-year-old Derrick Guerrero confronted a man he observed shoplifting, resulting in the customer running to the store’s entrance with stolen merchandise.
GameStop employee accused of shooting shoplifting Florida man
As the shoplifter headed to the exit, Guerrero pulled a concealed firearm from his waistband and fired a single shot, hitting the man in the torso.
It’s not clear why the GameStop employee felt inclined to shoot the customer or if the two knew each other prior to the incident.
The shoplifter, who police note never threatened Guerrero or displayed a weapon of his own, was transported to a nearby hospital with critical injuries where he died.
“Our officers have taken 33-year-old Derrick Guerrero into custody for Manslaughter when it was determined that he shot the adult male victim after observing him shoplifting from the business,” Pembroke Pines Police said.
This isn’t the first time that a theft like this has resulted in a fatal shooting. Back in 2022, men accused of stealing pizza and Pokemon cards from a Florida Target were shot at by police with one of them dying.
