Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly, a 37-year-old Black male, tragically lost his life on the morning of May 6, 2023, following a festive Cinco de Mayo celebration with his best friend, David Langston. The two men made a stop at a Mobil gas station on West McNichols in Detroit. While inside, a dispute erupted between another customer, Samuel Anthony McCray, and the gas station clerk over a transaction of approximately $3 that was declined.
As the argument intensified, the clerk made the
fateful decision to remotely lock the station's doors, trapping Fortner-Kelly, Langston, and another customer inside with an increasingly agitated McCray. Despite pleas from both Fortner-Kelly and Langston to be let out, the doors remained locked. McCray then threatened to shoot everyone in the store if he was not released. True to his threat, he opened fire, striking all three customers. Fortner-Kelly was fatally wounded in the attack, and his friend Langston was shot multiple times but survived. Langston later recounted the harrowing moments of begging the gunman not to shoot and pleading with the clerk to unlock the doors.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Samuel Anthony McCray, 27, was arrested and faced multiple charges, including first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and several other felonies. On October 11, 2024, McCray pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. The gas station clerk, Al-Hassan Aiyash, 22, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter for his role in locking the doors and preventing the victims from escaping the escalating situation. The tragic death of Gregory Fortner-Kelly, a father of three, prompted discussions among city officials about a potential ordinance to prohibit businesses from locking customers inside, aiming to prevent such a senseless loss of life in the future.
