Austin gas station shooting: Longtime clients stand up for employee accused of murder

Austin, Texas – Longtime customers of a gas station in East Austin stand up for a young employee accused of murder. Police say Yasin Naz, 25, shot and killed a man after an altercation at the store over the weekend.

“Disbelief. I mean total distrust,” buyer Jaylon Spence said.

Customers who frequent Shell’s family-run gas station on the corner of East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Springdale Road can’t say enough good things about 25-year-old employee Yasin Naz.

“Always in a good mood. Generous, respectful. Just a fun guy,” said Courtney Sherman, a distributor with the store.

“Every time I come here he makes me laugh. I make him laugh, just like we do. This is my boy,” said regular customer Vetris Smith.

They are stunned to learn that Naz is being charged with first-degree murder after police said he shot Marquis Demps, 42, outside a store late Saturday night.

“He would never have done something like this unless, you know, something happened,” said JoJo, another regular.

CONNECTED: Shell gas station employee in East Austin arrested for murder: APD

According to court documents, Demps walked into the store and had a verbal altercation that escalated into a physical one.

“There was some kind of altercation at the store and that started it all,” Austin police officer Alexandra Parker said early Sunday morning.

According to court documents, Naz told police that Demps had brandished a knife at the workers, so Naz grabbed the gun and ordered Demps to leave. Instead, court documents say that CCTV footage shows Demps vandalizing the store.

Naz’s father showed FOX 7 the damaged merchandise and display cases in the store. He says that Demps broke the glass at the counter and tore out the computer and credit card machine.

“Sometimes it’s humble people, you know, bad people expect them to do nothing,” said longtime client Michael Dunn.

But the police say Naz did something. As Demps left, Naz followed him into the parking lot and shot him multiple times through the window of his car. The police specifically indicated these circumstances in the murder warrant.

“He doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t deserve first-degree murder,” Dunn said. “I feel like it’s not self-defense in a way, but self-defense.”

Meanwhile, the Marquis Demps family is paying tribute to him on Facebook. Those close to him called him a “gentle giant” who deeply loved his family and “lived by his actions.” FOX 7 contacted the Demps family but received no response at the time of this story.

“It’s a sad situation in every way,” Dunn said.

Clients say that Naz and his family are also full of love. Off-camera, Naz’s father told FOX 7 that he was disappointed that he didn’t see the security footage because the police removed the entire system, adding that his son is a “good boy.”

“There must be more to this story. And I just hope and pray that this story gets out,” Sherman said.

Naz is being held at the Travis County Jail on $1 million bail. He is due to appear in court on February 22.

FOX 7 contacted DA José Garza’s office but received no response at the time of this story.