Southwest Detroit gas station shuttered after clerk fatally shoots customer

Detroit — A gas station clerk was arrested and his place of business shuttered Monday after police say he used an unregistered pistol to kill a customer he'd argued with, the city's police chief said.

The incident happened at about 3:15 a.m. at the Mobil station at the southwest corner of Vernor and Clark in southwest Detroit, Detroit Police Chief James White said during a briefing outside the business. It's the second time in recent weeks that police officials have closed down a gas station where a homicide occurred because it had been operating without a license.

"Here we go again," White said. "There was some type of verbal altercation between the employee and the customer. The employee had a confrontation with the customer, who allegedly stole some items. ... He leaves the store and attempted to come back in at some point. One shot was fired by the store employee."

The victim, a 25-year-old Detroit resident, died, White said.

"The employee has been arrested," White said. "This was senseless. We don't have any indication that this was justified in any way. No one appears to have been at risk."

The chief said the gun used in the shooting was unlicensed. "We're going to be tracking it to see it was used in any other crimes and how he got it," he said.

"Now that the employee has been arrested, the policing part of this has occurred," White said. "An investigation into his action is under way, and a warrant is going to be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Now, we flip to the administrative portion."

When White finished addressing reporters outside the station, he and his command team entered the premises, followed by reporters and photographers, and informed staff that the business was being closed because it was operating without a license.

"We're going to look at businesses in this whole row to see if they're operating legally and if not, we're going to shut them down as well," White said.

Employees at the station declined to comment Monday. After they were told to go home, Investigator John Doneghy from the city's Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department affixed a sticker to the station's front window informing customers that the business had been closed because it had been operating without a license.

White said the station hasn't been a problem spot in recent years. "There was a disorderly issue for Cinco de Mayo with a few groups, but other than that (the station's owners) have been good partners with the community," he said. "But if we have to come to these businesses I've directed the command team to look at every aspect of these businesses."

Days after White became police chief in 2021, he and Mayor Mike Duggan announced a plan to quell crime and rowdyism that included shutting down businesses that allowed illegal activity in or around their establishments.

"Some people wonder, 'Why are you looking at these business licenses?'" White said Monday. "We can and we should. If you're going to be serving our community you should be doing so legitimately."

Last month, police and city officials shuttered a Mobil station on the west side after an employee locked Samuel McCray inside the business following a reported disagreement over $4 in items. The clerk, Al-Hassan Aiyash, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors say he wouldn't allow customers to leave the locked facility, even as they begged to be let out. McCray allegedly opened fire, killing one of the customers.

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