Hammond gas station: Mom of man whose shooting death sparked proposed closure ordinance speaks out

HAMMOND, Ind. (WLS) -- The mother of a man who was killed at a gas station in Hammond, and whose case sparked discussions about gas stations closing overnight, is speaking out.

Ronnie Martin was shot to death in June and since then an ordinance in the city is being considered that would close all gas stations overnight to prevent crime.

RELATED: Hammond City Council delays vote on overnight gas station closures

Martin's mother, who is from Mississippi, has been in the Chicago area since her son's death and vows to stay until she can get justice.

Diane Morgan still relives the dark day her 35-year-old was killed. The shooting happened overnight on June 25 at a Luke's gas station off Sibley and State Line Avenue.

"That evening, [police] told me that my son was a passenger in the car with his friends. It was an altercation at Luke's gas station in Indiana," she said. "That two individuals were inside the gas station, they were arguing and had some type of altercation."

Morgan said the fight escalated and shots were fired. One of those bullets struck her son in the chest, killing the father of four. He was not involved in the altercation.

"They cheated my grandbabies. I feel like, they cheated--I was cheated. This should not be the end. This was not it," she said.

Monday the Hammond City Council discussed the possibility of requiring gas stations in the city to close overnight.

"If something positive can come out of this, I don't want no other parent, mother, anybody to feel like I feel right now," Morgan said.

The city council is set to continue their talks over the new proposed ordinance next week.