New York: According to media reports, a 56-year-old Indian man and his 24-year-old daughter were shot dead at a convenience store in Virginia, USA, and police have arrested a person related to the shooting.
Pradipkumar Patel and his daughter worked at the store in Lankford Highway in Accomack County at the time of the shooting. Accomack County is located on the East Coast of Virginia.
The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office said shortly after 5:30 a.m. on March 20, deputies reported a shooting victim, according to Shore Daily News. It said when they arrived, deputies found a non-responsive man who suffered obvious gunshot wounds.
While searching for the building, deputies found a woman also suffered from obvious gunshot wounds. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The unidentified woman was taken to Norfolk General Hospital where she was injured, the report said.
Accomack County Sheriff announced late Thursday that they had arrested a man in connection with the shooting. George Frazier Devon Wharton, 44, is currently in a bond-free Accomack prison, according to Sheriff W Todd Wessells.
He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder of first-degree murder, a felony possession of a firearm and two counts of using a firearm on the felony committee. The motive for the shooting was not immediately revealed.
According to Virginia TV station Wavy-TV, Paresh Patel calls himself the owner of the store. “My cousin’s wife and her father were at work this morning and some people came here and they just fired,” the station quoted Paresh as saying. “I don’t know what to do.”
The report said the incident triggered a shock wave among members of the American Indian community after the news spread through Facebook.
