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Man to stand trial after shooting

DETROIT (AP) — A 19-year-old clerk will stand trial in the fatal shooting of a man inside a Detroit gas station.

Mohamed Hizam faces arraignment March 29 in Wayne County Circuit Court on second-degree murder, manslaughter and using a firearm during a felony charges, according to The Detroit News.

Joshua Lewis, 30, was shot once in the chest with a rifle on Oct. 12 in the eastside gas station after he allegedly was seen using a hammer to break the glass of a coin-operated game of chance.

Hizam was standing behind a see-through protective barrier when Lewis was shot. He called 911 and was arrested after Detroit police arrived.

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor William Lawrence said even if Lewis was smashing windows to get access to “loose change,” that was not a justifiable reason to shoot him, the newspaper reported.

“You don’t see the victim with a firearm,” Lawrence said. “You don’t see the victim with a knife. You don’t see the victim ever come at the defendant.”

Hizam’s defense attorney, Jeffrey Edison, argued that Hizam had a “reasonable and honest” belief that Lewis could come into his area.

“Clearly his mind is clouded with the aggressive behavior of the decedent,” Edison told the court Monday.

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