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- Surinder Singh, 65, and Gurmej Atwal, 78, were both walking near their homes when a gun man opened fire on them. Surinder Singh found dead and Atwal was taken to hospital in critical condition
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UPDATED
FBI joins probe into shooting of Sikhs in US
Washington, March 8, 2011: US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) joined the probe into the shooting of two elderly Sikhs in California as a shocked community announced a $30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunman.
Two friends Surinder Singh, 67, and Gurmej Atwal, 78, were shot at on their afternoon stroll through Elk Grove, Sacramento Friday.
Surinder Singh died on the spot from a shot to the upper torso, while Atwal remained in critical but stable condition at a South Sacramento Medical Center from two bullets to the chest.
He still cannot talk, but is nodding yes or no to questions, his son, Kamaljit Atwal told Sacramento Bee newspaper.
Elk Grove Police Capt. Bryan Noblett said witnesses described a 1999 to 2003 beige or tan Ford F-150 pickup truck in the area of the shooting.
A motive has not been established. The shooting is being investigated with the help of the FBI as a possible hate crime, said Elk Grove Police spokesman Christopher Trim.
"There is no evidence that would indicate a hate crime, but neither is there any evidence to eliminate that possibility," he said.
The victims' families and others fear Singh and Atwal were targeted because they were wearing turbans, which some Americans mistakenly think represent Taliban and Muslim extremists.
"This is a rough year for Sikhs. When anything happens in the Middle East, Sikhs are targeted," said Darshan Singh Mundy, a Sikh civil rights leader at a news conference at the West Sacramento gurdwara with about 100 community leaders.
"About 99.9 percent of those wearing turbans in America are Sikhs, but we have nothing to do with 9/11. There are Sikhs in the US Army, and two Sikh women are pilots of F-16s in the Air Force," he said.
On Sunday, the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations offered a $5,000 reward for tips in the case.
Elk Grove Mayor Steve Detrick said the city has no history of hate crimes or racial epithets against the roughly 5,000 Sikhs living there...........IANS/NRIpress
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Gurmej Atwal's family member said:
- Gurmej Atwal is in the hospital recovering, after undergoing surgery for his gun shot wounds.
- He looks much better than yesterday and opened his eyes all the way but yesterday he opened only a little.
- He has to undergo one more surgery.
- No arrests have been made so far.
- Local Gurudrawas at a meeting yesterday announced an award of U.S. $20,000 to anyone who provides a clue towards the arrest of gunman
- They have also appealed to the Sikh community members to try and not wear traditional ethnic 'kurta' and 'payjama' while going for walks or any public appearance
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Two elderly NRI Sikhs were shot, leaving one dead and the other in critical condition
Sacramento, March 06, 2011
Dr. Harbans Lal
Surinder Singh, 65, and Gurmej Atwal, 78, were both walking near their homes when a gun man opened fire on them. Surinder Singh found dead and Atwal was taken to hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to his chest. According to Kamaljit Singh Atwal son of Gurmej Atwal and family friend said:
- Gurmej Atwal walked three or four hours every day
- Surinder Singh, and Gurmej Atwal became friends would routinely meet at a bus stop, went walking together on Power Inn Road and walk a route that took them down East Stockton Boulevard
- Kamaljit said skid marks at the scene suggest his father and Singh were victims of a drive-by-shooting
- Mr. Atwal was a retired civil servant who spent his career in the revenue Dept. in Punjab
- There is no indication this was a hate crime.
- We've never had any problems in this neighborhood, it was always very peaceful
Witnesses questioned by detectives described seeing a tan or light brown 1999 to 2003 Ford F-150 pickup-truck.
A possible bias motive is under investigation. Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner said in a statement: "We have no evidence to indicate there was a hate or bias motivation for this crime; however, the obvious Sikh appearance of the men, including the traditional Dastar headwear and lack of any other apparent motive, increasingly raise that possibility.
Police have said they suspect the shooting was a hate crime. Kamaljit Singh Atwal said he does not want to jump to conclusions, but he said people need to be more understanding of each other's differences. "Sikhs are also members of this community," He said. "We should not match apple to apple who is that who is this."While there is no evidence that suggests hate was a motive for the shooting, police said no evidence points to an alternative motive, either.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call the Elk Grove Police Department Communication Center at (916) 714-5115 (916) 714-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357).
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US Muslim group offers reward in shooting of two Sikhs
Washington, March 7, 2011: A Muslim civil rights group has announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot two elderly Sikh men, killing one, in a Northern California suburb.
The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) noted the possibility that a hate crime was committed against the victims who were out for a walk in Elk Grove when they were attacked around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Surinder Singh, 65, was killed while his friend, Gurmej Atwal was wounded and remains in critical condition, according to local media reports.
Basim Elkarra, the executive director of the local CAIR chapter, said that bearded Sikh men who wear turbans are often mistaken for Muslims by people who commit hate crimes against them.
"The Muslim community offers its condolences and support to the Sikh community in this time of sorrow," Elkarra said in a press statement Sunday.
"At present, we have no evidence to indicate there was a hate or bias motivation for this crime; however, the obvious Sikh appearance of the men, including the traditional Dastar headwear and lack of any other apparent motive, increasingly raise that possibility," Elk Grove Police Chief Robert M. Lehner stated.
Members of both families are just as baffled as investigators.
"Anybody who would do these things, I don't know why," Harvinder Singh, son of victim Surinder Singh, told Sacramento Bee newspaper.
Surinder Singh was a truck driver who had worked in both India and Libya before moving to the United States about five years ago. He had recently survived his fourth heart attack.
Gurmej Atwal moved to the US in 2001, and the family settled in Elk Grove in 2003.
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