Global Courant 2023-05-20 05:34:47
A Detroit gas station attendant may have panicked when he locked a door to stop a possible robbery before a man shot three bystanders, but he committed no crime, his attorney said Friday.
A magistrate set $200,000 bail for 22-year-old Al-Hassan Aiyash, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a customer. He is charged with gross negligence for locking the door when a man tried to leave the gas station with items worth less than $4.
On May 6, one man was killed and two more injured. Samuel McCray, 27, has been charged with murder and other crimes.
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Aiyash’s lawyer said it is “really not fair” to post a high bail, while prosecutors present an unusual legal theory.
Al-Hassan Aiyash, a Detroit gas station attendant, is being charged with involuntary manslaughter for locking the door of his workshop before a shoplifter opened fire on three customers. (AP Photo/Ed White)
“He did his job,” Jamil Khuja told the judge. “Did he panic and behave in some way inappropriately? Maybe, but that’s the best they can argue here.’
According to police, McCray attempted to leave the gas station without paying when an electronic purchase failed.
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Aiyash, who was behind protective glass, remotely locked the door, keeping McCray and three bystanders inside during the dispute. He opened the door shortly before the shooting, but the others apparently did not know, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
“People were begging to be released,” magistrate Malaika Ramsey-Heath said before he was granted bail.
Detroit Police Chief James White said he would support a local ban on locking people up in stores.
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“I don’t see any logical reason why anyone should be locked inside for any reason with no way out,” White said.
