Court throws out manslaughter charge against clerk in Detroit gas station shooting

DETROIT– The Michigan Court of Appeals has dismissed a manslaughter charge against a Detroit gas station attendant who locked the door on a Angry customer shoots three bystandersin which one was killed.

The prosecutors have argued that the actions of clerk Al-Hassan Aiyash to hold him criminally liable. But the appeals court said a charge of involuntary manslaughter was not appropriate.

It was “not reasonably foreseeable” that the customer, Samuel McCray, would pull out a gun and start shooting, the court heard Wednesday.

Aiyash was working behind protective glass at 3 a.m. when McCray’s botched attempt to make a $3.80 electronic purchase in May 2023 turned violent.

Video footage showed McCray repeatedly swearing and insisting he would leave the gas station with the items. Three more people entered before Aiyash pressed a button to lock the door, trapping the four inside.

The door was eventually unlocked, but before anyone could leave, one person was fatally shot and two more were wounded.

Prosecutors seeking to keep the case on track called a groundbreaking legal precedent from 2023 that paved the way for charges to be filed against the parents of Michigan school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley. Authorities said their son’s actions were foreseeable.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Crumbley case is not a party.

“Holding a suspect criminally liable for the intentional misconduct of a third party remains the exception, not the rule,” the court said in a 3-0 ruling.

The prosecution could ask the Michigan Supreme Court for an appeal.

“We are currently deciding on next steps,” said spokeswoman Maria Miller.

McCray is due to stand trial in October on murder and attempted murder charges.

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