DETROIT (WWJ) – A Detroit gas station attendant who allegedly locked several customers inside of a store during a dispute that turned deadly has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Al-Hassan Aiyash of Hamtramck, an employee at a Mobil gas station along McNichols near the Lodge Freeway, was bound over for trial on Tuesday, stemming from the May 6 incident that led to 37-year-old Gregory Kelly’s death.
Sometime after 3 a.m. that morning, prosecutors say Samuel McCray tried to make a purchase of under $4 at the gas station, but his card was declined. McCray then allegedly tried to leave the store without paying for the items.
Aiyash, 22, allegedly remotely locked the doors from behind the security glass, trapping McCray and three other men inside.
The three innocent men – Kelly, a 60-year-old Detroit man and another 37-year-old Detroit man – “repeatedly pleaded with Aiyash to unlock the door and let them out,” according to the prosecutor’s office.
But McCray became “very agitated and continued to argue with Aiyash,” eventually opening fire inside the store. Kelly was killed, while the other two men were injured.
Video showed in 36th District Court via Zoom on Tuesday shows McCray arguing with the victims, who are seen pleading with Aiyash to let them out.
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McCray ran from the scene and was arrested the next day. He is also facing several charges, including first-degree murder and attempted murder.
Prosecutors say the evidence will show that eventually, unknown to the three men, Aiyash pushed a security button to unlock the door, but failed to tell the men seconds before McCray began shooting at the three men.
Aiyash was arrested on May 18 and arraigned the next day on one count of involuntary manslaughter, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 15 years.
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