SF Walgreens security guard is seen in video telling cops why he shot dead transgender shoplifter 

Newly released video of the Walgreens employee who fatally shot a transgender shoplifter in San Francisco several weeks ago reveals his account of what happened before the fatal altercation.

In the video, Walgreens security guard Michael Anthony described to police detectives what led to the altercation with Banko Brown, and reacted to the news that the shooting was fatal.

He described the incident to the detectives and, at one point, described to police how Brown said he would stab him.  

'If I let her go she might just try to stab me so that's when I drew my gun out,' Anthony told the officers. 

At the end of the interview, when left alone, Anthony broke down and started to cry over the incident and spending the night in jail. 

'Oh my god…why, why, why?! Why?! Why? Oh my God! Oh my God. Oh my God. Why? Oh. F***,' he said during the private moment.  

Newly-released video shows the moment a Walgreens security guard shot and killed Banko Brown (pictured), but the San Francisco DA has refused to charge him

Several minutes into the interview, Anthony said he noticed Brown had been 'blatantly stealing.'

'I was like, ''hey, you know just put the items back,'' there shouldn't be no issues.

'She refused ... I went to reach for the items and that's when ... there was aggressive energy ... I'm not sure what her intentions was on to try attack me or whatever.'

Anthony referred to Brown as a she in the interview, despite the fact Brown was a transgender male. 

'She was fighting me to keep the items,' he said, describing the fight that saw the pair fall to the ground and begin to wrestle.

Anthony described how he tried to pin Banko's arms back because he didn't have a pair of handcuffs on him. He told the detective that he was worried the fighting would lead to his shoulder dislocating due to a previous, unhealed injury.

'Normally,' he said, 'I would let the individual go with' the stolen items. 'It's not worth fighting over.'

'But this time it was different because she wanted to fight me back. And my only way of stopping her from harming me or me getting any injuries was to like a chokehold type of move,' he said.

'The whole time we were wrestling she's saying she's gonna stab me and that's what really put the fear in my heart. Like ... okay, if I let her go she might just try to stab me so that's when I drew my gun out.'

Anthony said his weapon was pointed at the ground as it looked like the shoplifter might turn around and walk away. But then Banko pivoted and appeared to advance toward Anthony, which was when Anthony said he lifted the weapon and shot. 

San Francisco's DA ultimately said she will not charge Anthony because he was in 'mortal danger.' 

Graphic surveillance footage released on Monday shows Brown holding a bag as he walks toward the store exit. Anthony steps in his path and confronts Brown about allegedly stealing from the store, which leads to a scuffle before Brown is shot. 

His death sparked outrage across the Bay Area, but despite many demands to charge Anthony, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' office said Monday they would not be charging Anthony

Graphic surveillance footage released on Monday appears to show Brown holding a bag as he walks toward the store exit. Anthony steps in his path, confronts him

The surveillance footage shows Brown in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, walking out of the store, when the confrontation and tussle between him and the security guard unfolds

Brown and Anthony are in a violent tussle before Brown is fatally shot 

Anthony is able to pin Brown to the ground, but then lets him go and Brown walks out of the store, still clutching his bag

More words are exchanged and then Brown appears to move slightly forward with his arms out, then backs up just as Anthony shoots him. He collapsed on the sidewalk outside the store

His death sparked outrage across the Bay Area, but despite calls for criminal charges, DA Brooke Jenkins' office announced Monday they were not pressing charges against Anthony.

The surveillance footage showed Brown in a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, walking out of the store, when the confrontation between him and the security guard unfolded. 

Anthony pinned Brown to the ground, but then let him go and Brown walked out of the store, still clutching his bag. 

More words are exchanged and then Brown appears to move slightly forward with his arms out, then backs up just as Anthony shoots him. 

Brown collapsed on the sidewalk outside the store and a crowd of people gathered around him. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died. 

Anthony was originally booked on suspicion of murder the day after the shooting, but then released without charges after Jenkins said Anthony was in 'mortal danger' and 'acted in self-defense.'

The video interview detailed the moment police told Anthony that Brown died. 

'I just threw my whole f****** life away, man. I did not know. I swear. I was trying to protect myself,' Anthony told the officers. 

That is when the police tell Anthony they didn't think he was a 'bad guy' but that he would have to spend the night in jail. Anthony was then pictured by police and left alone for a moment. 

'I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for her. I'm sorry for her parents…everything," Anthony said in the interview. They later take him out of the interview room and the guard tells them, 'Oh my god ... I can’t believe this.'

In the report released on Monday, the DA citied 'insufficient evidence' that his actions equated to a murder or manslaughter charge. Instead, the evidence showed Anthony was 'sincerely afraid,' the DA's office stated. 

'All of this evidence strongly suggests that Anthony firing at Brown in self-defense was objectively reasonable,' the office's report reads. 

The report also noted that Anthony claimed Brown had repeatedly threatened to stab him. However, investigators found no knife at the scene or on Brown, the SF Chronicle reported. 

Protests had already begun following the decision to drop the charges against Anthony last week and at a meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, activists held up signs reading 'Justice for Banko Brown'. 

One protestor, who identified herself as Lia McGeever, erupted into a scream over the death of Brown, who was homeless and an intern with the Young Women's Freedom Center.

She said: 'I hate a lot of people on this board for the reasons that led up to Banko Brown's death.'

Speaking to The San Francisco Standard, Anthony said: '[I'm] still dealing with it, still don't understand and don't have the time to reflect.

'It's not like I go through this many times. This is a very life-changing matter.'

Anthony pointed to the pressure that security guards are under during these confrontations, saying: 'This is important for more people to be more aware of,' he said. It was happening too frequently.

'It's a lot to deal with. It's a lot of pressure. A person can only take so much. When you are limited to certain options, something will happen.'

'Who has my back? Nobody. You are left with no support. It's a frightening feeling with a lot of people around you.' 

Last week, a group of community activists gathered outside the Walgreens in downtown San Francisco for a vigil to honor Brown's memory. 

Attendees light candles in honor of Brown during a vigil

Floral tributes and candles where left in memory of Banko

Pictured: Protestors at the vigil on Monday

Many local residents have since left floral tributes and candles in memory of Brown.

In a social media post, the Young Women's Freedom Center wrote: 'Our community stands strong together in the face of tragedy.

'In times like these, we show up for each other and we fight for our folks, especially for our siblings that are taken from us way too soon.

'Thank you to every voice that has spoken, every foot that has marched, and every fist raised in solidarity.'

The incident comes after a number of major chains announced they would be shuttering stores in San Francisco due to soaring crime figures.

Retailers such as Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Office Depot and Anthropologie have all said they would be pulling out of the city.

Nordstrom chief stores officer Jamie Nordstrom blamed the state of San Francisco in recent years for reducing foot traffic 'and our ability to operate successfully.'

Remaining stores such as Target have been reduced to locking up their entire stock behind glass to deter shoplifters.