A late-night gas station argument in Detroit turned fatal for 26-year-old Iraqi immigrant Ahsan Alwatan. On July 17, 2016, about 11:30 p.m., Alwatan was behind the wheel of a silver Dodge Ram at a Fuel Depot on West Warren Avenue with a 26-year-old friend in the passenger seat when a black Cadillac Escalade pulled up alongside. A verbal confrontation escalated and someone in the Escalade opened fire, striking Alwatan multiple times in the head.

Alwatan tried to flee but his truck crashed into a column at another Fuel Depot across the street. He died at the scene; his passenger suffered a foot injury and was hospitalized in stable condition. The Escalade fled south on the Southfield Freeway, exited onto Ford Road and continued west into Dearborn. A witness who followed briefly obtained a partial plate number but was fired upon and stopped the pursuit. The suspects have not been publicly identified or apprehended and the motive remains unclear.