Employee killed trying to prevent liquor store robbery in West Covina
WEST COVINA, Calif. - An employee tragically lost his life while attempting to thwart a robbery at Big Bob's Liquors and Market, located at the corner of Sunset and Point Avenue in West Covina.
The shooting occurred shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday during what authorities described as an altercation while the employee attempted to stop a theft.
Police said that two males entered the store and stole merchandise. The victim confronted the men at which time the shooting occurred.
The victim, identified as a 34-year-old Karan Singh, was found unresponsive just outside the establishment when police responded to a call reporting an armed robbery. Emergency medical services rushed the injured individual to the hospital via ambulance, but sadly, he succumbed to his injuries overnight.
Karan Singh (PHOTO: Submitted by family) (FOX 11)
The West Covina Police Department is conducting investigating the shooting, with assistance from L.A. County sheriff's homicide investigators.
Family told FOX 11 that Singh was the store owner's brother-in-law, and he had been in the U.S. for less than a year, coming from India. He was saving up to bring his wife and 12-year-old son here. Customers explained that the owner does this with family and friends — gives them jobs when they first get here, until they get comfortable with their English, get all their immigration papers in order, and get established and comfortable with the community.
Singh had just started working at the register after a few months of working in the stockroom. Customers said he was eager and friendly, "like they all are."
The owner himself worked at the store as a clerk when he first arrived in the U.S. in the ‘90s. He saved enough to buy the store in 2006, and helped many other friends and family from India get their first job here. He said there haven't been any serious incidents at the store, until recently, as crime in Southern California, particularly smash-and-grabs, have hit the news.
Surveillance footage from the store apparently showed the two people of interest in the case, one in a white T-shirt and khaki pants, the other in all black.
Authorities have been diligently canvassing the area for surveillance footage and have been interviewing witnesses. According to witnesses, two suspects were spotted fleeing the scene in a white SUV shortly after the shooting.
This tragic event has left the community in shock, and the search for the two suspects remains ongoing.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the West Covina Police Department at 626-939-8688 or leave a tip at LA Crime Stoppers. https://www.lacrimestoppers.