Authorities have shut down a Mobil gas station in Detroit after a clerk shot at a suspected shoplifter, marking the second time the Michigan gas station has been shut down in two years.
On Dec. 11, 38-year-old Tony Williams passed away after jumping onto the Lodge Freeway while fleeing the gas station clerk who was shooting at him, reported WXYZ.
"It didn't have to happen at all," said Tuan Williams, Tony's brother.
"Earlier last week, we had an incident where the clerk left behind the glass for what appears to be suspecting someone of shoplifting, started shooting indiscriminately outside here on the public streets putting this community in danger. That is not OK," Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes said. "We demand accountability. There is a responsibility for business owners as well as their staff to treat the community with dignity and second of all, firearms and shooting at someone on an open street like this, that is not OK."
Williams' family visited the gas station, located near McNichols Road and the Lodge Freeway, to express their anger and frustration at the incident. On Sunday, they began chanting "shut it down" after conducting a vigil for Tony.
Hayes, alongside members of the Board of Police of Commissioners and community violence intervention partners, announced the closing of the gas station, which they hope will help deter such violent crime across the city.
"At this point, we consider this business very dangerous," Hayes said.
In 2023, the same Mobil gas station was shut down after the clerk running it locked himself and two patrons in due to an argument over an alleged theft of about $3. The argument escalated and shots were fired, leaving one dead and two others injured.
The station continued to operate without a license following the 2023 shooting, which resulted in authorities shutting it down.
"We are committed to making sure that this does not happen again," Hayes said.
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