A gas station employee is in police custody after shooting a man to death at the store early Monday morning, leading to someone ransacking the store.
Around 3:15 a.m. Monday the victim, a 25-year-old Detroit man, apparently got into a verbal dispute with the employee because he was allegedly trying to steal items from the store on Vernor Highway near Clark, according to Detroit police.
At some point after exiting the gas station, the man tried to re-enter the building and was shot by the employee, according to Chief James White. A single shot was fired.
The victim was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. White called the shooting "senseless."
"We don't see any indication that any of this was justified in anyway," White said.
The employee was arrested and the investigation into the shooting is underway. White said the gun used in the shooting was unlicensed.
Detroit police began looking into whether the gas station was properly licensed and found the owners “don’t have a business license to be open in the city of Detroit and sell gasoline,” according to White. No further details were immediately released.
He said authorities will be investigating other businesses in the area to see whether they’re properly licensed.
Detroit police officials tell WWJ's Ryan Marshall after police left the initial scene, two unidentified men, one of them in a ski mask, entered the gas station and ransacked the place, leaving behind a massive mess.
Shelves were overturned and items were thrown all over the store. A motive behind the destruction was not immediately known.
Saeeid Hamdan, an employee at the gas station, told WWJ’s Ryan Marshall the owners of the Mobil gas station had been contacting the city trying to get inspections done since opening in January.
“It’s been difficult,” Hamdan said. “It’s hard for someone to give us a call back, no one answers the phones down there. It’s crazy.”
Hamdan said the shooting was "very unfortunate" and his thoughts were with the families of those involved.
Last month a gas station clerk was charged with involuntary manslaughter after allegedly locking the doors to prevent a man from leaving the store when his card was declined, ultimately leading to a fatal shooting.
This is a developing news story. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest updates as they become available.
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