On the morning of November 4, 2014, a tragic discovery was made at a Clark gas station located at the intersection of 7 Mile Road and Schoenherr Street in Detroit, Michigan. At approximately 7:15 a.m., a customer entered the business and found the body of the clerk, 26-year-old Mohamed Zokeri lying on the floor. First responders arrived to find that the young father had been fatally shot.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s office later determined the cause of death to be a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Investigators from the Detroit Police Department believe the shooting occurred between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., shortly after Zokeri had begun his shift. Unlike many violent crimes at convenience stores, authorities quickly surmised that robbery was likely not the motive. Police noted that cash and merchandise were left untouched at the scene, leading Deputy Chief Renee Hall to describe the killing as "strategically done." While police stopped short of confirming it was a targeted hit, they emphasized that the perpetrator did not appear to be a random criminal seeking financial gain. Two spent shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Zokeri was described by friends and regular customers as a kind-hearted "family man" who was known to help anyone in need. At the time of his death, he had a one-year-old son, and his wife was pregnant with their second child. In a cruel twist of fate, Zokeri had previously made headlines in 2012 as a Good Samaritan while working at a different gas station, where he aided a pregnant woman who had been the victim of a brutal attack.
Despite the release of a security image showing a person of interest and the offer of a $5,000 reward by Crime Stoppers in February 2015, no immediate arrests were reported in connection with the murder. The case appeared to go cold, with police urging anyone with information to come forward to help solve the execution-style slaying that left a young family without a husband and father.
