Lloyd Preston Brewer III, a Florida strip mall owner, has been accused of fatally shooting a man for urinating on his building, according to prosecutors in Monroe County. Recently released surveillance footage and 911 audio recordings appear to support these claims.
Table of Contents
The Incident
57-year-old Lloyd Preston Brewer III faces one count of second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Garrett Hughes, an unarmed man who died in an alleyway behind the Conch Town Liquor & Lounge on Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West on February 13th.
A 911 call from a woman at the scene reported the shooting: “I – I need somebody at Conch Town right away. Somebody just got shot.”
Surveillance Footage and Police Reports
Law enforcement claims that Brewer is the man in the video who confronts the shirtless victim after he urinates on the side of the building. The assailant in the footage then reaches toward his waistband before raising his arms. An altercation occurs, though the shooting itself is unclear in the grainy footage. Moments later, Hughes would be dead.
Police describe Lloyd Preston Brewer III as going into a “shooting stance” before the fatal shot took the young man’s life, according to a police report obtained by Miami-based ABC affiliate WPLG.
Brewer’s 911 Call and Self-Defense Claim
Brewer claimed the shooting was in self-defense during his own 911 call.
“Yes, hello, I just shot someone,” the defendant says in the recording.
When asked who he shot, Brewer responded, “I don’t know,” before asking someone nearby for the dying man’s name: “Garret Hughes.”
The dispatcher then asked why Brewer shot the victim.
“He came at me aggressively in my parking lot at Conch Town,” Brewer replies.
Authorities’ Response and Defense Attorney’s Statement
However, Monroe County authorities concluded that “the video doesn’t support that theory.”
“Brewer said it appeared that Hughes was going to pull something from his waistband,” a Key West police detective wrote in a report obtained by WPLG. “Brewer could not identify exactly what was aggressive or threatening about Hughes’ behavior and denied having seen Hughes in possession of any weapons.”
Brewer’s defense attorney, Chris Mancini, pushed back on law enforcement’s interpretation of the video in a statement to the TV station.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit
In late March, Hughes’ parents – John Hughes and Lesley Touzalin – sued Lloyd Preston Brewer III and several entities related to the killer and his family in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Monroe County.
The bar itself is not owned by Brewer or his family – but is a tenant in the Searstown shopping center that they own.
Current Status
The defendant is currently being held in the Monroe County Jail without bond. At the time of his arraignment in February, defense attorney Don Yates tried an unusual tactic, saying: “I think it would serve justice to go ahead and allow Brewer to remain incarcerated.” The judge obliged that defense request.
