An Indian-origin businessman was murdered inside a store in the United States, as per online news sources. WTKR TV reported that Preyas Patel and an employee were discovered shot to death inside a business in Newport News, Virginia, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, police have nabbed the culprit in a year-old instance of another such homicide of an Indian-origin businessman.
On Thursday, WCBS TV reported that police in Lindenhurst, New York, had finally apprehended the culprit in the machete murder of Kinshuk Patel at his business. Sanjay Patel, Kinshuk Patel’s cousin, told the station, “Thanks to detectives, it’s an excellent work, one year to end this issue and I appeal to all the people, please, (give) justice to all family.”
According to WTKR, a consumer who went to the 7-Eleven shop and saw no one working alerted authorities. Drew claimed that when officers arrived, they discovered Patel, 52, and Logan Edward Thomas, 35, dead at a shop next to a gas station. According to the station, he stated that police believed it was a botched robbery and that they were seeking witnesses and reviewing security footage.
The United States sees an unprecedented rise in violent crime, with homicides in New York State increasing by 58% in 2021 compared to 2019.
Both men worked in retail establishments with a high population of Indian immigrants and a “high risk of assaults and violent crimes,” according to a US federal agency.
According to WCBS, a police official in Lindenhurst stated they have the suspected killer Yoel Atzmon’s fingerprint and DNA blood evidence, as well as a video of him entering Kinshuk Patel’s business. Kinshuk Patel, 33, is survived by his wife, Ruchika Patel and two boys, aged 18 months and five years.
When her husband did not come home after closing, she went to the establishment, Dapper Smoke Shop, and discovered the chaos, according to the station.
According to WCBS, when the alleged killer Atzmon appeared in court, he became “agitated,” The judge ordered that he be kept without bail and undergo a mental assessment. “He should spend the rest of his life in prison because he squandered his life,” Ruchika Patel told the broadcaster.
“Retail employment is one of the highest-risk positions for workplace violence,” according to the CDC, and “companies at high risk of assaults and violent actions include convenience shops, petrol stations, and businesses that sell alcoholic drinks.”
