Man killed in ‘senseless’ shooting at Phoenix gas station, family says

PHOENIX – A Phoenix family is mourning the loss of one of their own tonight, killed in what they call a senseless act of violence at a gas station.

What we know:

Phoenix Police said 52-year-old Danny Lyn Kaster was murdered, shot and killed inside a QuikTrip near 4400 East Oak Street on the morning of Jan. 16.

Kaster’s family said he was waiting in line for the bathroom and 25-year-old Deondre Franklin tried to cut the line. When Kaster intervened, they said Franklin shot him. He was taken to the hospital but died soon after. 

What they’re saying:

His family said he was killed in the most ordinary interaction, and that it could have been anyone. Now, they want the world to know the special person who was taken from them. 

“We’ve been, thicker than thieves we’ve since we were kids,” his sister Delca Kaster said. “Danny was literally the person that would give you the shirt off of his back.”

Aidan, Kaster’s relative said, “He’s funny. Told really great jokes. He always had a huge heart for animals.”

The backstory:

But on Friday morning, Delca got a call that he had been shot at the gas station. 

“We’re all still honestly in shock. He left for work on Friday. Now he’s never coming home,” Delca said. 

She said her brother was waiting for the restroom with two others when Franklin cut the line. When Kaster had tried to say something about it, she said Franklin shot him multiple times.

“This was a completely senseless act of violence,” Delca said. “My brother was doing nothing wrong. He was not aggressive, not threatening, and not looking for trouble. He was just a man starting out his work day.”

Big picture view:

Now, the family is forced to come to terms with his loss in an act of violence they call senseless and avoidable.

“Just want to say to him that I love him and that I’m really sorry that he had to go through this and he was probably scared. And I really just really love him,” said Shelby, a relative of Danny’s.

“My brother was more than this tragedy,” Delca said. “He was a son, a brother, a loved one who mattered deeply to his family and friends. He had a life. Relationships, his dog Max, his prized possession truck, and a future that was stolen in an instant.”

On Jan. 17, Franklin was arrested by Phoenix Police in connection to the murder.  

What’s next:

While Delca plans to be at every court date, she asks that her brother be remembered for the big life he lived, not how it was taken from him.

“My brother no longer has a voice, so I have to be his,” she said.

What you can do:

There is a GoFundMe for the family to help with funeral expenses.

What’s next:

Franklin is being held on a $1 million bond. His next court date is Jan. 23. 

Map of the shooting location.