Suspected gunman who shot customers locked in Detroit gas station pleads not guilty

A man accused of shooting three customers locked inside a Detroit gas station Saturday during an argument with a clerk over $3 pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Samuel Anthony McCray, 27, of Detroit is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, three counts of felony firearm and a count of possessing a firearm as a felon. McCray was on probation for a separate weapons charge when the shooting occurred, prosecutors said.

Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Kym Worthy said Tuesday that McCray attempted to make a purchase at the Mobil gas station on West McNichols Road, near the Lodge Freeway, but his card was declined. He then attempted to leave the gas station with unpurchased items, Worthy said, and the gas station clerk locked the door.

More: Gunman shot every customer in Detroit gas station after warning clerk, victim says

Angered, McCray shot three patrons of the store, according to prosecutors. Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly, a 37-year-old Detroit father of three, was killed. His friend, David Langston, 37, and another patron survived their gunshot wounds.

The clerk had locked the door electronically from behind the counter, prosecutors said.

Worthy said the clerk unlocked the door after the three people were shot, and McCray fled. He was found and arrested Sunday.

During McCray's arraignment in 36th District Court on Wednesday morning, prosecutors said the incident was captured on Project Green Light surveillance cameras.

The clerk and McCray argued after he attempted to leave the store, McCray became increasingly angry and the clerk refused multiple pleas from the other customers to unlock the door, prosecutors said.

McCray then allegedly began to argue with Fortner-Kelly. McCray told him he would "put one in the head" before pulling out a gun and shooting him and the other two patrons, prosecutors said.

The clerk unlocked the door after the shooting and McCray got into the backseat of his mother's vehicle, according to prosecutors. His mother took McCray to her home, where his sister picked him up and he later went to a motel to have sex with a woman, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said McCray disposed of the gun used in the killing and attempted to dispose of his cellphone, knowing the police were looking for him. He was found Sunday in the passenger side of a vehicle near his sister's home.

McCray's attorney attempted to argue that McCray is severely mentally ill and should be placed on a tether bond.

Magistrate Dawn White of 36th District Court denied bond.

Efforts to reach owners of the Mobil gas station on West McNichols Road near the Lodge Freeway were unsuccessful.

Update: SMM Mobil, which owns the gas station, issued a statement Wednesday evening via attorney Ali Dagher expressing condolences to the victims and their families.

"Mr. Gregory Karlos Samuel Fortner-Kelly was an outstanding young man and leader who was a victim of a heinous and senseless crime," the company said in the statement. "SMM Mobil wants to thank the Michigan State Police and Detroit Police Department in cooperation with community organizations like Crime Stoppers for the swift apprehension of the suspect who committed this tragic and senseless act of violence further proving a need for stricter gun control laws and community unity."SMM Mobil is a participant in the Green Light program and has supported all Detroit Police initiatives to insure safer streets in our community. SMM Mobil has spoken with several community activists and has committed to help the families in any way we can in this difficult time of need. We are devastated by this horrific tragedy and will do all we can to assist and aid in the investigation. Our efforts to obtain a Business License in the City of Detroit is an ongoing process that is currently in motion."

Police said Monday that the gas station was unlicensed and was shut down by the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department amid the shooting investigation.

Fortner-Kelly's loved ones are distraught and angry over the death.

Fortner-Kelly was a graduate of Southfield High School and Wayne State University. He had been a substitute teacher, according to his childhood friend Tihesha Redmond.

"He’s always been a person to be there for everyone around him and take care of them and make sure they’re good," Redmond said.

He was an outgoing, funny, “comedian-type of person,” Redmond said. “No matter what you’re going through, he’s going to have you laughing.”

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442, asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit gas station shooting victims were locked inside, prosecutors say