A Detroit gas station clerk will spend decades behind bars for fatally shooting a man after escalating a dispute over beef jerky.
Moad Mohamed Al-Gaham was sentenced to 20 to 50 years in jail for second-degree murder, WDIV reported.
Al-Gaham shot 25-year-old Anthony McNary in the forehead on June 5, 2023, at an ExxonMobil station in Detroit after the clerk caught him pocketing some beef jerky.
Al-Gaham went through McNary’s pockets, retrieved the jerky, and placed it back on the shelf. At that point, McNary offered to pay for the jerky, but Al-Gaham refused and forced him out of the convenience store.
Al-Gaham locked the doors to the store after seeing McNary out to prevent McNary from re-entering.
Surveillance video showed McNary standing outside the doors when Al-Gaham charges toward the entrance with a gun in hand, aims at his forehead, and shoots the 25-year-old through the glass.
McNary was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
Police said Al-Gaham did not have a license for the gun he used. Police launched an investigation into Al-Gaham for another shooting in 2022 in which he kicked a customer out of the store, then fired a shot after the customer got too close to his car, according to CBS News.
Before the judge issued her sentence, Al-Gaham spoke to the family and the court through a translator.
“I apologize to the family,” he began. “I apologize to the mother. I am very remorseful. I swear to God I have no plan to harm him.” As his emotions get the better of him, he adds, “My intention was to get him scared, to get him away. I have no idea how the bullet got out of the firearm. I see nightmares, every day, every night. I see him in my nightmares.”
Al-Gaham asked for forgiveness and pleaded with the court for “mercy.” Defense requested sentencing at the bottom of the guidelines for 12 years. The people asked the judge to depart from the guidelines and issue a harsher sentence. The judge chose neither.
After the sentencing, McNary’s family released a statement:
“We are grateful for the jury’s verdict and the judge’s sentence today of 20 to 50 years for Mr. Al-Gaham. Nothing will bring our Anthony back to us and we miss him so much, but today gives us some sense of justice.”
The attorneys representing McNary’s family members called Al-Gaham’s actions “horrific,” adding that they “demonstrate a complete disregard for the safety of our community.”
A $100 million lawsuit has also been filed against ExxonMobil.
