On a Sunday afternoon, May 13, 2018, which was also Mother's Day, 34-year-old Derek L. Roberts, a truck driver, stopped at a Citgo gas station on West McNichols Road in Detroit, Michigan, to buy a pack of cigarettes. An argument erupted between Roberts and the gas station clerk, Rami Ali Jaber. The dispute escalated, leading Jaber to leave the secure area behind the bulletproof glass.
Surveillance footage from the gas station, which captured both video and audio of the tragic event,
showed Jaber first spraying the unarmed Roberts with dog repellent. Seconds later, Jaber fatally shot Roberts in the chest. Roberts was rushed to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Following the shooting, Jaber himself called 911.
Rami Ali Jaber, who was 26 years old at the time of the incident, was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm violations. The case went to trial, where the surveillance footage played a crucial role in the prosecution's case. In September 2019, a Wayne County jury found Jaber guilty of the lesser charge of second-degree murder, along with the felony firearm charge.
During the sentencing in December 2019, the judge noted Jaber's lack of remorse, stating that when asked what he would have done differently, Jaber responded that he wouldn't have come to work that day, rather than expressing regret for shooting Roberts. The judge sentenced Rami Ali Jaber to a prison term of 35 to 50 years. The tragic and avoidable death of Derek Roberts left his family and the community grieving, with many holding rallies calling for justice. His brother remembered him as a good man who did not deserve his fate.
