Detroit gas station closed down after clerk allegedly shot at accused shoplifter
Troubled Detroit gas station closed down after incident
A family member spoke outside the gas station on Monday. Police say a clerk accused Williams of shoplifting, chased the 38-year-old out of the store, and fired a gun at him. Investigators then say Williams jumped on the Lodge to get away but didn’t survive.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Twenty-four hours after activists in Detroit called for city leaders and police to shut down the Mobil gas station at 6 Mile and the Lodge, the building is still closed.
When FOX 2 stopped by on Tuesday, the lights were still off, and no one appeared to be inside.
"They took my brother’s life. It’s messed up. Messed up. It’s painful. We want justice. I want justice for him," a family member of Tony Williams said.
That family member spoke outside the gas station on Monday. Police say a clerk accused Williams of shoplifting, chased the 38-year-old out of the store, and fired a gun at him. Investigators then say Williams jumped on the Lodge to get away but didn’t survive.
FOX 2 spoke to a witness who was in the shop during the incident. She said Williams appeared to be nervous inside the store.
"It was just crazy. Kind of like all happening that fast the gunshot and everything," a witness told FOX 2. "Right as I was done like, paying, he ran out, so the clerk that was checking me out, he ran out from behind. And, he stopped at the door and was like, ‘I’ll chase you down. You better stop.’ The old man looked back, and then he kept running."
"The fact that this is this business’s second go-around, we really about to put as much pressure as we possibly can to make sure that this business does not open back up again," said Zeek Williams.
New Era Detroit’s Williams was referring to an unrelated situation in May 2023. Police say a store clerk locked customers inside because someone tried to steal snacks. That suspected thief shot three customers and killed one.
That clerk was not found responsible.
Williams wants more accountability from city leaders and business owners who aren’t invested in helping the community.
"If y’all paying all this money to have all these protective bulletproof glasses, stay behind there. Stay behind that glass that y’all putting up and yall so fearful of the rest of the community," he said.
FOX 2 learned the same gas station was fined for not having a mandatory certificate of compliance back in the mid-2000s. For the business to reopen this time, the owner must attend a Department of Appeals virtual hearing on Friday morning.