Detroit The Detroit City Council on Tuesday voted to amend city code so that businesses with bulletproof glass can’t lock customers inside after a shooting at a gas station last year left three people shot and one man dead.
The nine-member City Council voted 7-0 to pass the ordinance “to draw attention to the dangers of businesses detaining patrons against their will,” according to the resolution. Councilors Angela Whitfield Callaway and Gabriela Santiago Romero were absent.
The ordinance was enacted in memory of Gregory Carlos Samuel Fortner Kelly, a city resident who was shot and killed on May 6, 2023, after being trapped inside a gas station with a gunman.
The incident happened around 3 a.m. at a Mobil gas station in the 12800 block of West McNichols in Detroit. The clerk, Al Hassan Ayyash, locked the doors to prevent Samuel McCray from leaving the store after his card was declined and he attempted to shoplift $3.80 worth of merchandise. McCray allegedly shot and killed three people, including Kelly, inside the gas station. According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, McCray is indicted on four charges, including first-degree murder, and a trial is scheduled for July 8.
The store clerk is charged with manslaughter for locking the door, but it is unclear whether Ayyash knew the shooter had a gun before locking the door. The case is still pending, as Ayyash has appealed to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court and is awaiting a verdict.
The new ordinance adds that “it is unlawful for a business operator at an establishment that has a bulletproof barrier separating the operator from patrons to use remote door-locking technology to intentionally prevent patrons from exiting the premises.”
Operators of establishments that violate the ordinance will be charged with a misdemeanor.
“The purpose of this measure is to keep threats out of convenience stores, gas stations, liquor stores, party supply stores and more,” said City Councilman James Tate. “This doesn’t just apply to gas stations, it applies to many commercial establishments that have cash registers behind bulletproof glass. Sadly, Mr. Kelly lost his life as a result of this measure.”
Tate said there is still work to be done on state law.
“More needs to be done to tackle shopkeepers who detain suspected thieves and we will work on that,” he said.
srahal@detroitnews.comX: @SarahRahal_
