Gas station clerk charged with manslaughter for locking doors before customers shot

A gas station clerk is charged with involuntary manslaughter in a May 6 shooting that took place after he locked customers inside the business in an attempt to prevent theft.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's office on Thursday announced the charge against Al-Hassan Aiyash, 22, of Hamtramck. He's accused of locking the doors of the Mobile gas station on McNichols Road near the Lodge Freeway during an argument with Samuel Anthony McCray, who was charged with first-degree murder last week.

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McCray had attempted to make a purchase of under $4, and when his credit card was declined, he attempted to leave with unpurchased items, according to prosecutors. Aiyash is accused of electronically locking the doors of the store before McCray pulled a handgun and shot three customers, prosecutors said.

Gregory Kelly, 37, of Detroit, was killed. David Langston, 37, and another customer, 60, survived their gunshot wounds.

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"The three innocent men repeatedly pleaded with Aiyash to unlock the door and let them out," the prosecutor's office said in a news release.

"The evidence will show that eventually, unknown to the three men, Aiyash pushed a security button to unlock the door, but failed to tell the men seconds before McCray began shooting at the three men."

Aiyash was arrested by Detroit police Thursday and was expected to be arraigned in 36th District Court on Friday morning.

"It is alleged that Aiyash caused the death of Gregory Kelly by committing a grossly negligent act by intentionally locking the door to the only available exit and preventing Mr. Kelly from escaping a dangerous situation where a customer was threatening to commit an act of violence," the prosecutor's office said in the release..

Ali Dagher, an attorney representing the Mobil gas station, has said Aiyash had just started the job just days prior to the shooting.

“What people don’t understand is, this happened so quickly. Literally in less than five minutes,” Dagher said.

Dagher reviewed the footage of the incident and said what he saw from the shooter was “a complete disregard for human life.”

“He shot three people like it was nothing,” Dagher said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Clerk in Detroit gas station triple shooting charged with manslaughter