Lloyd Preston Brewer, a 57-year-old Florida strip mall owner, has been accused of second-degree murder after fatally shooting Garrett Hughes, a 21-year-old man he caught urinating on the side of his building behind the Conch Town Liquor & Lounge on Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West, Florida after midnight on February 13. 

Police surveillance footage shows Hughes, shirtless, urinating on the building when Brewer approaches and confronts him, then raises his arms and shoots him in the stomach. 

After the shooting, Brewer made a 911 call claiming that he acted in self-defense because Hughes was coming toward him aggressively. However, investigations disputed Brewer’s self-defense claim as the surveillance footage did not support it, and Brewer himself denied any threatening behavior from the victim or possession of weapons. 

The police report also suggests that Brewer went into a shooting stance before firing the fatal shot into Hughes’ abdomen.

Brewer’s defense attorney, Chris Mancini, has challenged the prosecution’s interpretation of the surveillance video and argued for a “Stand Your Ground” defense. 

In addition, Hughes’ parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Brewer and other parties, claiming their negligence in serving Brewer, an alcoholic, excessive amounts of alcohol that allegedly led to the unprovoked shooting of an unarmed man. 

Brewer was held without bond in Monroe County Jail after his arraignment in February and is expected to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on May 3.