A Hazel Park man has been convicted in the fatal shooting that occurred at a Warren gas station back in December 2024. According to The Detroit News, Al Curtis Williams, 46, was found guilty by a Macomb County Circuit Court jury of first-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and using a firearm during the commission of a felony. The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office has affirmed that Williams faces up to life in prison for the murder charge, with sentencing scheduled for March 12.
Details from ClickOnDetroit elaborate on the incident, indicating that Williams engaged in a verbal dispute with 38-year-old Brandon Zaner at the Shell gas station at the intersection of Dequindre and 9 Mile roads. After leaving the station, Williams reportedly returned, confronted Zaner in a nearby parking lot, and during the altercation, a single shot was fired that proved fatal for Zaner. As stated by Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido, "This outcome holds the defendant accountable for the murder of a stranger, an absolute senseless act of violence."
While Williams' defense counsel Brian Brown was not immediately available for comment following the trial, the verdict has been perceived as a message against senseless violence within the community. As per details from CBS Detroit, Lucido expressed relief at the jury's decision, stating, "The jury's verdict holds the defendant accountable for the murder of a stranger, an absolute senseless act of violence."
Currently, Williams remains in custody at the Macomb County Jail awaiting his sentencing. The ruling, predicated on a four-day trial before Judge Edward Servitto, has solidified Williams' fate in the eyes of a community grappling with the apparently arbitrary loss of life. "Our thoughts remain with the victim and his family," Lucido told ClickOnDetroit in the aftermath of the verdict.
