The assailant, Samuel McCray, became angry after his credit card was declined for a four dollar purchase and attempted to walk out with the items he was unable to pay for.
The clerk, 22-year-old Al-Hassan Aiyash, then locked the doors of the gas station to prevent him from leaving.
The shooting left two people injured and one dead, leading to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy filing first-degree murder charges against McCray and involuntary manslaughter charges against Aiyash.
Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said that Aiyash’s actions were ‘grossly negligent’ and endangered customers at the shop.
Legal experts have disputed Miller and Worthy’s argument, saying that it will be difficult to prove that Aiyash is legally culpable for attempting to stop someone from stealing at the store.
The magistrate presiding