INKSTER, Mich. – Police initially said a robbery sparked a shooting at an Inkster gas station, but the Local 4 Defenders have learned there wasn't much of a robbery at all.
Federal officials said it was a drug deal gone wrong that sparked the shooting on Inkster Road and Avondale Avenue, and it exposed a group dealing dangerous opioids.
The shooting sent a lot of fear through the community after an innocent bystander stopping to fuel up had apparently been shot during a robbery. But now it appears the shooting was part of an opioid pill-pushing operation and the victim was more than a bystander.
Police cars raced to the scene of the Marathon gas station after a young man from Wyandotte was shot in his car at the pump. Two people took off after the shooting, and it was first reported as a possible robbery.
Now, federal court documents in the case against Kevin Corley are telling a different story.
Corley and Kyrrah Carter were identified as suspects in the shooting after police reviewed surveillance footage at the gas station. Carter is accused of shooting the man and faces a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm.
Corley is in federal court on different charges.
Court files said the meeting at the Marathon gas station wasn't a robbery but a drug deal. They said the Wyandotte man was at the Inkster gas station to purchase opioid pills. They said when an argument over price started, Carter fired shots and took off.
"The fact you engage in what you think is going to be an ordinary crime, but it turns into a shooting, you could face additional charges and additional time," said Local 4 legal expert Neil Rockind.
Rockind said in addition to state charges for a shooting, there are federal charges against Corley.
"Anytime you undertake a felony and someone is injured or dies in the course of your conduct, it can change the consequences," Rockind said.
Carter was sentenced to six to 12 years on the state charge.
Corley is fighting the federal drug charges and showing no interest in a plea deal, officials said.