"the murder weapon was found in his possession.”
A US Indian motel owner was shot dead following an altercation with a customer over a room rental.
Pravin Raojibhai Patel owned the Hillcrest Motel in Sheffield, Alabama.
According to a report from Sheffield Police Chief Ricky Terry, the 76-year-old was shot by William Jeremy Moore after the latter had come to the motel and tried to book a room.
An altercation occurred between the two men.
Moore then pulled out a handgun and shot Mr Patel.
The report stated: “Mr Moore was quickly apprehended by Sheffield Police on 13th Avenue when he was trying to break into an abandoned house.
“When searching Mr Moore, the murder weapon was found in his possession.”
Moore is being held in the Sheffield City Jail until a warrant is issued and will then be transported to the Colbert County Jail.
Jemeriz Owens, who is a barber across the street from the motel, said he heard three gunshots in a row.
He said: “He (Patel) was outside. He was just trying to get somebody to leave, and they didn’t want to leave and they shot him.”
Mr Patel is survived by his wife and two children.
He also has three brothers, Harshad, Indravaden and Harendra Patel, a sister, Manju Patel, and grandchildren Jaiden, Myya, Leeya and Ariyana Patel.
On an online condolence page, president of the Colbert County Tourism Office Susann Hamlin wrote:
“Mr Patel was such a nice, warm gentleman. I knew him for many years as he owned one of the motels in our area.
“Such a pleasant and sweet man with a lovely wife and children. I am so sad for the family and also glad that I had the privilege to know him.”
AAHOA Alabama Regional Director Sanjay M Patel said the motel owner spent over four decades living in the town, owning and running the same business.
He said:
“He was a very family-oriented person, jolly, and a keen businessman.”
“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 death is the latest in a string of assaults on US Indian hotel owners.
In 2021, Cleveland hotelier Yogesh Patel was beaten to death by a guest he had evicted from his hotel earlier in the day.
In March 2021, Usha and Dilip Patel were victims of a shooting in their Maryland hotel that left Usha dead and her husband wounded.
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