Police have detained a man in connection with a fatal shooting outside a QuikTrip in east Phoenix on Friday morning.
Deondre Stephon Franklin, 25, was arrested on Saturday for the death of 52-year-old Danny Lyn Kaster, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
The shooting took place at the QuikTrip store on 44th and Oak streets, between Thomas and McDowell roads.
Officers discovered Kaster with at least one gunshot wound. He was transferred to a hospital, where he eventually died.
Delca, Kaster’s sister, said her brother was waiting in line for the bathroom inside the store when the alleged gunman cut him off. When Danny spoke out, she stated that he had been shot.
“He departed for work on Friday, never coming back in because he told somebody, ‘Hey, there’s the end of the line,'” Delca said. “This is a nightmare. We haven’t been able to grasp or accept that he’ll never return home.”
Danny’s family set up a monument outside Quick Trip on Sunday afternoon. He was remembered as a brother, dog lover, companion, and uncle.
“He was my best friend,” stated Shelby Kaster, the victim’s niece.
“I don’t even know how to feel; I’m just broken inside,” said Aidan Vicker, the victim’s nephew.
Vicker said the incident has made him frightened of ordinary interactions. “I feel like I can’t even say hello to anybody. I feel like I’m about to get shot just for saying hello to someone, and I shouldn’t have to feel that way,” he said.
Despite his anguish, Vicker stated that he intends to carry on for his uncle.
“Stay in my own lane, don’t bother with anybody, and keep doing what I’m doing now because I’m sure my uncle would want that,. Vicker stated. “I’m sure he doesn’t want me to be sad forever.”
“He was more than just this tragedy; he really truly was,” she added.
A family friend launched a GoFundMe page to help them with funeral expenses.
Franklin was arrested in Maricopa County and charged with second-degree murder. He is being jailed under a $1 million bond.
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