In the early hours of February 28, 2018, a dispute that began on the road escalated into deadly violence at a 24-hour gas station on Airport Road in Allentown, Pennsylvania, claiming the life of 36-year-old Danny Daniels Cancel. The altercation, which started as a fender-bender, ended in a three-way shooting that also resulted in the death of 28-year-old Cassieam Hicks.
A third man, 24-year-old Kareem Sanders, was critically injured in the exchange of gunfire.
The events leading to the fatal encounter began with a minor traffic accident from which one vehicle fled. The parties involved later confronted each other at the gas station, a meeting that tragically turned into a gun battle. Police were called to the scene shortly after 1 a.m. and discovered a chaotic and grim situation. One man was found deceased, and another, later identified as Cancel, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds. Both deaths were subsequently ruled homicides by the Lehigh County Coroner's office.
Surveillance footage from the gas station played a crucial role in the investigation, capturing the violent exchange. The video evidence, along with witness statements, helped authorities piece together the sequence of events. The investigation revealed that Sanders was an active participant in the shootout. After being taken to a hospital in a private vehicle for treatment of his injuries, Sanders was arrested and charged with criminal homicide and a weapons crime in connection with the deaths of Cancel and Hicks.
Initially, Sanders claimed that his actions were in self-defense. However, in May 2019, he reached a plea agreement with Lehigh County prosecutors. Kareem Sanders pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. As a result of his plea bargain, he was sentenced to serve between 10 and 20 years in a state prison for his role in the deaths of Danny Cancel and Cassieam Hicks. The resolution of the case brought a close to the legal proceedings surrounding the violent altercation that claimed two lives.
