Man pleads guilty in fatal Detroit gas station shooting; victim’s family speaks

DETROIT (WXYZ) — It’s been almost a year and a half since a triple shooting at a gas station in Detroit left one man dead and two others injured.

The shooting occurred in May 2023 at a Mobil gas station near McNichols Road and The Lodge.

The three victims were locked inside the gas station by the store clerk, while he and the shooter argued over a theft that police said amounted to about $3.

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Gregory Karlos Samuel Kelly, 37, was fatally shot. Two other people were injured. One of those victims was Kelly’s best friend, David Langston.

On Thursday, the alleged shooter, Samuel McCray, pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

“I think my son’s death was somewhat justified,” said Marilyn Fortner, Kelly’s mother.

Fortner felt a sense of relief as he left court Thursday and saw McCray entering pleas in the case.

“It was very traumatic for us. I just never imagined life would be without him,” Fortner said.

She feared she would have to go through an ordeal following the death of her son.

“I don’t need to relive that video. I don’t have to worry about seeing him every day during the trial, because it’s hard to see someone who took a loved one from you,” Fortner said.

Kelly was a father of three and Fortner’s only child. The mother of Kelly’s children, Kaiyah Simon, said it was really taking a toll on them.

“My children suffer every day. They miss their father. They love their father so much. Their father loved them,” Simon said. “They miss him every day. They suffer every day. »

Fortner says the guilty plea also spares the other two victims from reliving the day their lives flashed before their eyes. Fortner said Langston saw his son fall to the ground and die.

“David is in a lot of pain,” Fortner said.

But Fortner says the guilty plea will also bring some relief to Langston.

“With this decision, it puts a stop to some of the things he’s going through,” she said.

Fortner said she hopes that at sentencing the shooter gets the most.

“Yes, my son is looking down from the sky like thank you, mom, you did it, Fortner said.”

Sentencing in the case will take place next month at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center.