Detroit is moving to prevent gas stations from locking customers inside their stores, a year after a fatal shooting incident.
According to police, the decision by a clerk to lock the door while protected behind glass contributed to the shooting.
A new ordinance passed by the Detroit City Council on Tuesday would prohibit employees from remotely locking doors in businesses where workers are shielded by protective glass, as reported by The Detroit News.
Council member James Tate explained that the aim is to keep potential threats outside of convenience stores, gas stations, liquor stores, and party stores.
The violence in May 2023 began over a failed $3.80 electronic purchase.
Police vehicles at the scene of shooting (Via Franklin Myers/Getty Images)
Surveillance footage captured Samuel McCray becoming confrontational and insisting on leaving the gas station with unpaid items. Three other individuals entered before clerk Al-Hassan Aiyash locked the door using a button, trapping all four inside.
During the altercation, three of the individuals were shot, resulting in one fatality. McCray faces charges of murder and attempted murder, while Aiyash has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Both cases are awaiting resolution.
Judge Kenneth King remarked that if the door had not been locked, the tragic events might have been avoided.
Aiyash’s attorney stated that he was unaware McCray possessed a firearm when he locked the door.
