Murdered Troy gas station clerk identified

Police searching for suspect after clerk was shot dead Saturday afternoon

TROY, Mich. – Police have released the identity of a gas station clerk who was gunned down at work in Troy on Saturday.

The 63-year-old victim is Athir Putres of Rochester Hills.

The shooting occurred around 1:30 p.m. at the Clark gas station on the corner of South Boulevard and Rochester Road.

A customer found Putres with a gunshot wound to the head.

There's no description of a possible suspect at this time.  Police are currently reviewing surveillance video from the gas station and surrounding businesses. Police are also asking anyone who passed by or visited the gas station around 1:30 p.m. Saturday for help.

Area store owners are now fearing for their safety.

"It could've happened here because it's right across the street," said Michael Groff, who has worked at the BP gas station nearby for several years. "It makes me real nervous because it can happen anywhere, anytime."

"You don't know that what you may have seen, any vehicle that you could describe that was in the parking lot when you were here could be hugely important to this investigation.  It clearly is a homicide, we're not sure if it was a robbery or an argument.  We don't have that yet," says Troy Police Captain Bob Redmond.

Two shots were fired inside the gas station, but only one struck the store clerk. 

"I'm sure they are going to catch who did it, but until then, everybody is going to be looking over their backs. There's no need for that," said Jeff Scharfenkamp.

If you have any information to help in this investigation, contact the Troy Police Department at (248) 524-3443, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 SPEAK-UP.