DETROIT — The Michigan Court of Appeals threw out a manslaughter charge against a Detroit gas station clerk who locked the door before an angry customer shot three bystanders, killing one.
Prosecutors have argued that clerk Al-Hassan Aiyash’s actions make him criminally responsible. But the appeals court said an involuntary manslaughter charge doesn’t fit.
It was “not reasonably foreseeable” that the customer, Samuel McCray, would pull out a gun and start shooting, the court said Wednesday.
Aiyash was working behind protective glass at 3 a.m. when McCray’s failed attempt to make a $3.80 electronic purchase turned into violence in May 2023.
Video showed McCray repeatedly cursing and insisting he was going to leave the gas station with the items. Three more people entered before Aiyash pushed a button to lock the door, keeping the four inside.
The door was eventually unlocked. But before anyone left, one person was fatally shot and two more were wounded.
Prosecutors seeking to keep the case on track cited a groundbreaking 2023 legal precedent that cleared the way for charges against the parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley. Authorities said their son’s actions were foreseeable.
The appeals court, however, said the Crumbley case is not a match.
“Holding a defendant criminally liable for a third party’s intentional misconduct remains the exception, not the rule,” the court said in a 3-0 opinion.
The prosecutor’s office could ask the Michigan Supreme Court to take an appeal. “We are currently deciding on next steps,” spokesperson Maria Miller said.
McCray, meanwhile, faces trial in October on murder and attempted murder charges.
In response to what happened, the Detroit City Council prohibited businesses from remotely locking a door when customers are present. The ordinance applies to businesses whose workers are protected by security glass.
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