A Detroit gas station clerk has been ordered to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter by a judge on Tuesday. The judge stated that the clerk’s decision to lock the door and taunt an angry customer contributed to the fatal shooting of a bystander. The clerk, Al-Hassan Aiyash, was working behind protective glass at 3 a.m. on May 6 when a customer’s failed attempt to make a $3.80 electronic purchase turned violent. Video footage shows the customer repeatedly cursing and insisting he was going to leave the gas station with the items. Aiyash pushed a button to lock the door, keeping the four inside. The scene was volatile, and two men who were subsequently shot testified that the customer threatened to shoot everyone. Aiyash finally unlocked the door just seconds before a third man was shot and killed. Two others were wounded. The defense attorney acknowledged that it was “detestable” for Aiyash to lock the door and trap customers, but he blamed the fatal shooting on a hot exchange of words between the customer and the victim. Separately, the customer is facing charges of murder and attempted murder.
A Detroit clerk is facing trial after she was accused of locking a security door, preventing customers from being saved from a gunman who then opened fire in a convenience store.
Late one evening on Wednesday the 22nd of January 2020, an anonymous male entered a convenience store located on the west side of the police precinct area. Once inside, he chose the place to shoot at the customers. According to witnesses, the clerk was warned by bystanders but claimed he had a gun and refused to open the security door. As a result of her neglect, three customers were shot, leaving two people in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The clerk, identified as June Gold, has been charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of false imprisonment for allegedly locking the security door that kept customers from escaping.
In court, prosecutors alleged that due to Ms. Gold’s inaction, customers were “denied a chance to escape the gunman’s bullets and became innocent victims of her conduct.” They said that she had a duty to protect customers from any and all threats of harm, and claimed that her action, or lack thereof, was irresponsible and ignored the warning of an employee’s intuition.
Ms. Gold’s defense attorney denied the prosecutor’s charges, arguing that she was unable to open the door and panicked when the gunman began shooting. The defense said that Ms. Gold only locked the door after the gunman had started shooting in order to prevent him from getting away and ensure that the police were able to apprehend him.
The case will now proceed to trial, where the court will decide whether Gold’s inaction caused the tragic events to take place. As the case goes forward, the courtroom will attempt to discover if Ms. Gold could have done more to protect the shoppers from the gunman and could have been more proactive in her response.
