NRI Sikh Nirmal Singh Thind, owner of Kent Motel shot

Seattle, June02, 2004

Nirmal Singh Thind, who was shot Monday during what police are calling an attempted robbery at the Kent New Best Inn motel he co-owned with his brother-in-law. Thind, 44, is being remembered as a helpful, honest man who others often sought-out for advice or moral support.

Two young men confronted Thind in the office of the New Best Inn on South Kent-Des Moines Road, a block west of Interstate 5. Thind co-owned the motel with his brother-in-law. One of the men was wearing a bandanna and at least one of them flashed a handgun, said Kent police spokesman Paul Petersen. Thind pushed his 10-year-old son into a living unit behind the small, cramped office and began grappling with one of the men, Petersen said. The gun fired, and Thind was hit. Thind's friend, who had been in the living unit, leaped to Thind's aid and joined the scuffle, Petersen said.

The two robbers fled and as they ran, one fired through the office window, hitting Thind again, Petersen said. Thind died Monday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He had been shot in the abdomen and the leg. The men were still on the run last night. The two men wanted in the shooting are described as black males in their late-teens to early-20s. The first man is between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11, with a medium build, wearing a gray hooded sweat shirt and gray sweat pants, according to Seattle Times staff reporter

The second man is about 5-foot-6, 145 pounds, with a slight build. Police said he was wearing a cherry-colored satin cloth over his hair and a baggy, hooded gray sweat shirt.

Nirmal Singh Thind was making tea, said Thind's niece, Robby Marok, a student at the University of Washington. His wife had just told him that she was going to meet some friends, and he agreed to take over the office duties for the afternoon, Marok said. Thind put a pot of water on the stove and settled in with his son and a friend.

Thind was a calm, honest and wise man. Gurpreet Singh, a family friend, said Thind gave invaluable tips and moral support to many other Indians during their respective immigration processes. Although he was the youngest sibling in his family, friends and relatives often sought him out for advice. "He was the kind of person who took responsibility for everything: family affairs, events," Singh said. "When he's around, you don't have to worry about anything."

Nirmal Singh Thind emigrated from Amritsar, a city in the Indian state of Punjab in1991. After a short stay in California, he moved to the Seattle area, where he drove taxis. By 1997, he and his brother-in-law had saved enough money to purchase the two-story, 29-unit motel in Kent.

He continued to work for Farwest, a taxi company. Just recently, he had purchased a new green cab, number 108, said Connie Dawson, who described herself as one of the few long-term tenants at the motel.

Family and friends said Thind was active at the Sikh temple on Talbot Road in Renton. He was a strict vegetarian who didn't eat meat because he didn't support hurting animals. On Sunday evenings, he played soccer with family members and friends at a Renton park. Thind also has a 15-year-old daughter.