Detroit City Council pushing to make gas stations safer
(CBS DETROIT) - Detroit gas station owner and U.S. Senate candidate Nasser Beydoun shared his thoughts on the deadly May 6 shooting inside of a West McNichols gas station in Detroit.
Beydoun owns a Marathon gas station on West McNichols and Wyoming streets near the scene of the fatal Mobil gas station triple shooting.
"It was a tragedy," he said.
He believes the store clerk should've never locked customers inside with gunman Samuel McCray.
McCray is facing charges where he is accused of shooting of three customers, killing one over an argument with the clerk for a purchase under $4.
The gas station's clerk, Al-Hassan Aiyash, is accused of locking the door. He's now facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
"Nobody should lose their life for a couple of dollars," said Beydoun. "The gas station employee should've acted more reasonable."
In the days and weeks following the May 6 shooting, there's been a push to make gas stations safer.
Detroit City Council is considering options including exploring the possibility of banning gas stations from locking their doors with customers inside.
A resolution was also drafted to implement measures and procedures for gas stations that will better protect customers. It's been referred to the committee, and the discussions include training for all gas stations.
But before any decisions are made, Beydoun believes a meeting should be held on the issue to figure out the best way forward.
"Like with green light it was the business owners that implemented this project after a conversation with the mayor," said Beydoun. "Anything that we can do to make the community safer, make our customers safer, we need to take the lead on it. However, there has to be more than the business owners at the table, the police have to be at the table, the city has to be at the table. The community has to be at the table."
Daryl Woods, a community leader with Dignity 4 Detroit, is in support of the idea of a ban on gas station door locks and training for gas station employees.
"Absolutely, unequivocally we need something in place and we need it immediately," he said.
Woods says it comes down to saving lives.
"We want to be able to prevent anyone else from being murdered and slaughtered the way Mr. Kelly was murdered and slaughtered in that place," he said.
Beydoun added there's a policy in place at his gun station that prohibits employees from locking the doors on customers.
He also says they've received training from a well-known activist on cultural sensitivity, how to deal with customers and more
Beydoun stopped short of supporting a mandate for training, but he stresses the need for a meeting to discuss the best solutions moving forward.
"How do we stop the next one from happening. How do we come together as a community. Because this is just one community that affects all of us," he said.