A 50-year-old man from Bardoli in Gujarat’s Surat district was shot dead in a tragic incident in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on Friday. The victim, identified as Rakesh Dhirubhai Patel, was working as a motel manager in the United States.
According to Allegheny County Police, the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Stanley Eugene West, opened fire in the motel’s parking area following an argument with his female companion. Hearing the commotion, Patel stepped outside to check the situation but was shot by the gunman. He later succumbed to his injuries. The woman who had been arguing with the accused managed to escape.
Police said security footage showed the suspect approaching Patel after shooting him and asking, “Are you alright, bud?” before fleeing the scene in a U-Haul van. Officers later tracked down the vehicle on Wilner Drive in East Hills, where the suspect exchanged gunfire with police.
During the encounter, a Pittsburgh police officer sustained a leg injury, while the accused was also shot and is currently in critical condition in hospital. Authorities have charged West with murder, attempted murder, and reckless endangerment.
This marks the second violent incident involving individuals of Indian origin in the US within a month. Just last week, a 26-year-old Indian student was reportedly killed by robbers in Dallas. In September, another Indian-origin motel worker, Chandramouli Nagamallaiah, was beheaded in front of his family at a Texas motel after a dispute over a washing machine.
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