A recent altercation at a Detroit gas station led to its indefinite closure after a clerk fired shots at a customer, according to local authorities. The incident, which took place Monday night at the Valero gas station on the crossroads of Conant and E. McNichols Road, involved a clerk, reported in his 20s, who leveraged a 12-gauge shotgun from behind bulletproof glass against a customer in his 30s. The victim, while not struck by the shotgun blast, was injured by glass shards resulting from the shot, FOX 2 Detroit reported.
Detroit Police Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes articulated his condemnation of the incident, stating, "The clerk's life was not in danger in any way, and he was behind the protection of bulletproof glass. These actions are reprehensible, and we aren’t going to tolerate that," in an interview obtained by CBS News Detroit. As reported by ClickOnDetroit, the unidentified clerk was promptly arrested and is awaiting criminal charges at the Detroit Detention Center.
The close of the gas station is a message to other businesses in the city that such violence won’t be overlooked. "This is not okay, and anyone that makes a decision to do this, we will shut you down," Hayes told reporters, as documented by FOX 2 Detroit. Subsequent to the incident, the gas station has been excised from Project Green Light Detroit, a security program connecting local businesses with Detroit Police Department’s headquarters through high-definition surveillance cameras
In response to the clerk's unwarranted decision to shoot, Hayes offered a stark admonition aimed at entrepreneurs citywide. "If this happens again, they will see me, and they will see this group, they will see angry residents protesting their business. This is not okay. Anyone that makes the decision to do this, we will shut you down," he warned, as ClickOnDetroit further relayed. Continuous with the investigation, digital evidence from the store’s security footage is anticipated to play a pivotal role in the prosecution of the case.
The customer is recovering from minor injuries, showing that even gas stations can be unsafe at times. Police are still investigating what happened earlier this week on Detroit's east side and hope to find answers and justice.
