Indian-origin man accused of murdering two men in US parking lot
Darpan News Desk IANS, 05 May, 2023 11:37 AM
New York, May 5 (IANS) A 21-year-old Indian origin man has been booked for fatally shooting two men at a parking lot of a mall in US state of Oregon in a possible case of double homicide, police said.
Jobanpreet Singh, 21, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on two counts of murder in the first degree on Thursday, the Portland Police Bureau said.
Central Precinct officers responded to a report of a shooting on Wednesday at 2.45 p.m. (local time) in the 9100 block of Southeast Barbur Boulevard, and found two men dead in a parking lot after arriving.
Portland police are yet to publicly identify the two men who died, media reports said.
According to OregonLive, Singh pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and four counts of unlawful use of a weapon when he made a brief appearance in court on Thursday for an arraignment.
According to video surveillance footage reviewed by police, Singh and two friends were seated at a table outside Bentoz Teriyaki restaurant before he got up and walked toward a man who had just parked his car, the website reported.
Another man approached that car and then walked quickly toward Singh with a phone in his hand, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Margaret Burgess wrote in the affidavit.
Singh then drew out a pistol from his pocket, raised it towards the two men in front of him, and "shot multiple rounds", Burgess wrote.
The report said that Singh continued to shoot even after the two men had collapsed to the pavement in the parking lot, the affidavit said.
While the two men died on the spot, Singh called 911 to report the shooting, remained at the scene and was arrested, the OregonLive reported.
The affidavit did not mention what led to the shooting, but according to witnesses they heard some type of yelling or argument before hearing between six and 10 gunshots.
"One man got into another person's face. The shooter pulled out his gun and the two young men ran," Kayia Murrell, a witness, told OregonLive.
The two men who were shot did not appear to be armed, she said, adding that she didn't know what the men were arguing about.
Singh, who is being held without bail in the detention centre, is scheduled to return to court on May 12. The Portland Police Bureau Homicide Unit is investigating the incident, and has asked witnesses to come forward.
Police had initially arrested Dharmesh A Patel on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse for allegedly intentionally driving the sedan, with his wife and two children inside, off a 250-foot California cliff. Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said they are also investigating whether the crash could have been caused due to an issue with the car.
Dhillon's platform for the leadership includes decentralising the party organisation by setting up more regional centres away from Washington, DC, to build the party's grassroots and reduce the influence of lobbyists and self-serving politicians.
Dentist brothers Bhaskar Savani, 57, and Niranjan Savani, 51, owned and controlled the Savani Group dental practices. The third brother, Arun Savani, 55, owned and managed the Savani Group companies and was responsible for the Group's financial affairs. The trio allegedly conspired to recruit foreign workers for US work visas while concealing the workers' true job titles and responsibilities.
Jaahnavi Kandula, a student of Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union, was walking near Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street when she was hit by a Seattle Police vehicle on Monday.
Singh, 38, had moved an application in Delhi's Patiala House court seeking to give his consent for extradition to Australia earlier this month. According to ABC News, after court's approval, Singh's extradition request needs to be signed off by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The victim, Pinal Patel, was pronounced dead at the hospital. His wife and daughter, who were also shot in the incident, were said to be in stable condition. The police have issued a picture of the getaway car used by the killers - three masked men - and a driver. There is no word yet on their motivation and they had apparently not taken anything from the family.
