WASHINGTON: A 76-year-old Indian-origin motel owner was shot dead by a customer in the US state of Alabama following an altercation over a room, the latest in a string of tragedies to shock the community in the country.
Pravin Raojibhai Patel, who owned Hillcrest Motel in Sheffield, was shot dead last week.
According to Sheffield Police Chief Ricky Terry, William Jeremy Moore, 34, was arrested for the shooting death of Patel, WAFF TV, a television station in Huntsville, reported.
Officials said the shooting was the result of an altercation that occurred when Moore came to the property looking to rent a room. Moore pulled a gun and shot Patel, Terry said.
"Moore was quickly apprehended by Sheffield Police on 13th Avenue when he was trying to break into an abandoned house,"the chief said.
When searching Moore, the murder weapon was found in his possession.
A felony complaint states Patel tried to get Moore to leave before the shooting. Moore started to leave when he then turned and shot Patel twice in the chest.
Jemeriz Owens, a barber working across the street, bore witness to the aftermath.
"I heard three gunshots," Owens recounted, visibly shaken.
"I can't believe it; he was just doing his job."
Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in a statement said America's hotel owners are deeply saddened, shocked, and outraged by this senseless act of violence against a small business owner that cost him his life.
"Senseless acts of violence have no place in our communities, and our hearts are breaking for Pravin's family, including his wife, children, and grandchildren," said AAHOA Chairman Bharat Patel.
Everyone in town knew him as a familiar face in the community after being there for 40-plus years, and the family was well-known in the community for being genuine and caring, the AAHOA statement said.
AAHOA is confident that Alabama authorities will help the Patel family find justice.
There have been a string of deaths of an Indian or Indian-American in the country in recent months.
An Indian-origin family, including their 4-year-old twin boys, was found dead on Monday at their home in California with the police investigating the case as a murder-suicide.
On February 10, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive died after suffering life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in Washington.
Before that, Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian student was attacked by robbers in Chicago.
Earlier, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was fatally attacked in Georgia state's Lithonia city by a homeless drug addict.
Another student identified as 19-year-old Shreyas Reddy Beniger was found dead in Ohio. However, local authorities have ruled out foul play.
Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana on February 5.
Another Indian student, identified as Neel Acharya at Purdue University, Indiana, was confirmed dead days after being reported missing on January 28.
Akul B Dhawan, an 18-year-old at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month with signs of hypothermia.
