A 36-year-old Indian-origin man was shot dead after a teenage boy robbed a store in the US state of North Carolina, officials said.
Menank Patel, owner of the Tobacco House store at 2580 Airport Road, died in a shooting Tuesday morning, the Salisbury Post reported.
According to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, a juvenile is in custody for the crime. Because the young man is a juvenile, police officials are not able to release his name.
The teen was arrested Tuesday evening but no additional details were released.
Capt. Mark McDaniel, public information officer for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, said police first responded to the Tobacco House convenience store after the call to 911 was disconnected.
While they were on their way to the scene, they received reports of a shooting. McDaniel said when police officers arrived at the scene, they found Patel with multiple gunshot wounds.
The victim was taken to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center and then airlifted to Presbyterian Hospital of Charlotte, where he died from his injuries, the report said.
Security video showed a tall, thin white male running away from the building into the store’s parking lot. McDaniel said he was wearing black shorts, a black hoodie, a black ski mask and white Nike tennis shoes with a burgundy logo and was holding a black handgun.
McDaniel said the sheriff’s office is unsure of the motive for the shooting, but it appears to be a robbery. No one else was injured.
Patel left behind his wife Ami, who is seven and a half months pregnant, and a 5-year-old daughter.
Customers and employees say Patel was always willing to do anything for anyone, and the community is mourning his death.
Everyone called him “Mike.” And it was clear from the flowers and cards outside his store, Tobacco House, on Wednesday that people loved him.
“It hurt everybody because it was a family, it was a community family store,” said customer Ann Ellis.
Lopez said Javier Lopez has been cutting grass at the store for several years, even before Patel took over from his cousin, and the Patel family “treats everyone like family.”
I just saw him yesterday morning, and on my way home from work I saw the police and stopped to see what had happened.
He added: “There are no words to describe what a great guy Mike was.”
“He was a really nice guy, good to his customers, loved his family and would help anybody,” said Patricia Howard, another regular customer at the store.
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