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 killing 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.
