Simranjit Singh, 20, of Elk Grove was shot dead outside a gas station where he worked.
According to Sacramento Bee, he was shot dead by men who had earlier assaulted his co-worker. It is unclear if either of the crimes were racially motivated, police said.
The incident began just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when a gas station employee was cleaning the Chevron's parking lot in the 8400 block of Florin Road.
The employee had an argument with two to three men who were loitering in the parking lot, and one of the men physically assaulted the employee, Sacramento County sheriff's investigators said.
The employee went inside the store to call 911 about the assault. That's when his coworker, identified as Simranjit Singh, 20, of Elk Grove, went outside the store, and the same men walked up to him. One of the men pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at Singh, killing him, deputies said.
The employee said Singh was throwing away boxes when he was shot for no reason.
He added that the men deputies are looking for were brash and confronted him while cleaning near their car.
While he was inside dialing 911 after being punched in the face, he heard the gunshots that killed Singh.
"I was there, like, 10 o'clock, around 10:15, 10:10, like that. So, I heard that shot, like maybe, six, seven times," said Majur Kaler, the owner of GK Discount Liquor, which is located next door.
"He was a very nice guy. I'm crying for him," said Kaler.
The gas station's owner said Singh was an employee of more than a year and was a student at American River College during the day.
He leaves behind three sisters, the gas station owner said.
The owner added that surveillance video from the Chevron provides a clear picture of the shooting.
The men were described only as Hispanic. They left the gas station in a light-colored compact car going south of Florin-Perkins Road, officers said.
Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested a Sacramento man in connection with the shooting death of a gas station clerk at a Chevron in south Sacramento.
Alexander Lopez, 40, was taken into custody Wednesday at a relative's home in Sacramento, the sheriff's department said.
