MURRYSVILLE, Pa. — A man accused of getting into a shootout with police last month at a Murrysville gas station is headed to trial.
Jesse Callender learned Tuesday that he will head to trial on all charges stemming from the April shooting at a Marathon gas station in Murrysville, but he will first undergo a metal health evaluation.%
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Outside of court, Channel 11 News heard from Ravi Singh, an employee at the gas station who helped keep customers safe during the ordeal.
Singh, who has worked at the gas station for almost a decade, said the night of April 20 was unlike any other.
Police said Callender shot at officers outside the gas station while threatening five people inside the convenience store.
"I'm just happy. It could've ended a lot worse. I'm just glad everybody in the store was OK,” Singh said.
Singh took the stand Tuesday in Callender’s preliminary hearing, telling the judge how Callender threatened him with a gun and demanded he put $30 in gas on the pump.
Singh said he called 911 and locked both sets of doors when Callender went back to his van for a loaded revolver.
"I don't even remember if I did that. I don't know how that happened, but at the time, it worked out very good locking the doors,” he said.
Two Murrysville police officers testified that when they arrived at the gas station, Callender fired two rounds at one responding cruiser. Police said as Callender made his way back to the gas station doors, officers fired two shots at Callender, hitting him in the hand and the thigh.
Callender declined to comment Tuesday on his way back to jail.
Prosecutors called the incident an unprovoked crime, saying Callender, who is from Colorado, has no ties to the area.
When Channel 11 News spoke with Callender’s mother last month, she said her son has been suffering from mental health issues for some time.
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