A seemingly insignificant transaction at a Detroit gas station escalated into a fatal altercation this past Saturday, when a dispute over a minor purchase led to a deadly shooting. Samuel McCray, 27, stands accused of killing one customer and wounding two others after the gas station’s clerk locked the door in response to a failed electronic payment.
The incident, which transpired shortly after 3 a.m., escalated when McCray attempted to exit the gas station with items amounting to less than $4. After his electronic purchase was declined, the clerk secured the premises, trapping McCray and other patrons inside.
Eyewitness David Langston, 37, provided a chilling account of the events that unfolded. He stated that McCray threatened to open fire on everyone in the gas station unless he was allowed to leave. Despite Langston’s desperate pleas for mercy and his insistence that the customers were innocent bystanders, McCray allegedly began shooting.
Tragically, Langston’s best friend, 37-year-old Gregory Kelly, was killed in the ensuing gunfire, while Langston and a 60-year-old man were injured. Following the shooting, the clerk unlocked the door, allowing McCray to flee from the scene.
Upon his court appearance on Wednesday, McCray was remanded to jail and denied bond. He has received charges of murder and attempted murder.
Kelly’s mother, Marilyn Fortner, mourned the senseless loss of her son, stating that he was well-loved and did not deserve such a violent end.