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Coney Island worker arrested for shooting man in leg after dispute erupts over not buying food

Posted at 6:14 PM, May 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-21 18:27:16-04

Gene Lyons, 23, is out of the hospital and recovering at home after Detroit Police say a worker at Motor City Coney Island shot him in the leg Sunday afternoon. 

Police say the 45-year-old worker under arrest is the son of the restaurant's owner. 

The restaurant is located on East McNichols near Oakland on Detroit's east side.

Sunday afternoon, Lyons said he was inside the coney island waiting for his friend who is a cook there to get off work at 3:00 pm.

Lyons said when the other worker told him he couldn't be there unless he was ordering food, he said he wanted to order an egg roll.

When that worker reportedly said he wanted to see his money, Lyons said he told him that his friend, the cook, would cover it. 

The two exchanged words and Lyons said his friend told him to come back later. 

Lyons said he walked around a couple blocks before returning to the parking lot of the coney island to wait for his friend to get off of work. But that's when Lyons tells 7 Action News that the worker came outside the back door of the business with a revolver he had brandished before Lyons left the restaurant earlier. 

Lyons said the man was at a relatively close range when he fired two shots.

Lyons said he was able to push the gun away as the third shot was being fired. Lyons believes it hit the dumpster first before hitting him in the leg. 

The worker was arrested by Detroit Police and he could face charges as early as Tuesday. 

Monday afternoon, DPD and DFD joined workers from Detroit's Building and Safety Department as they forced the Motor City Coney Island to shut down. 

City officials said during their investigation of the shooting, they learned that the restaurant has not had a valid business license since 2014. 

Restaurant workers declined to comment on the shooting or the closure. 

Click on the video to hear from Lyons and Detroit Police.