Memphis store clerk charged in death of teen who took beer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A grocery store clerk has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of a teenager who allegedly stole a beer.

The district attorney’s office in Shelby County, Tennessee, says Anwar Ghazali is being held on a $1 million bond in the death of 17-year-old Dorian Harris.

Investigators said Harris walked into Ghazali’s store in Memphis and left with a beer without paying on March 29. Police say Ghazali ran after him with a handgun and fired several shots, then returned to the store and told a witness, “I think I shot him.” Ghazali didn’t call police.

Ghazali’s attorney Blake Ballin told The Commercial Appeal that the charge is unwarranted because the act was reckless, not premeditated.

___

Information from: The Commercial Appeal, http://www.commercialappeal.com