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One
NRI dead and One Wounded in Sacramento Sikh Temple Shooting
UPDATED
NRI Gurpreet Singh Gosal gets life term for murder
Washington, Aug 10, 2013
An Indian American has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for 35 years for the murder of another Indian American outside a Sikh gurdwara in California in 2008.
Jurors in Sacramento Superior Court this week sentenced Gurpreet Singh Gosal, 28, for the second degree murder of Parmjit Singh Pamma outside the Bradshaw gurdwara in Sacramento during a Sikh sports festival Aug 31, 2008.
On hearing the sentence, Gosal apologised to the victim's family through his attorney, News10.net reported Saturday.
According to the report, the shooting followed an argument between the victim, another man who was wounded, and Gosal and a second man, sheriff's detectives had said at the time of the incident.
Witnesses at the site managed to restrain Gosal till the sheriff's deputies arrived....IANS/NRIpress.com
 NRI Gurpreet Gosal convicted for murder in Sikh temple Shooting
Saturday , Jun 22, 2013
A jury in Sacramento convicted Gurpreet Singh Gosal, 28, for the second degree murder of Parmjit Pamma Singh outside the Bradshaw gurdwara in Sacramento, California, during a Sikh sports festival Aug 31, 2008. According to the jurors, Gosal fired a weapon but did not hit anyone.
It was his friend, Amandeep Singh Dhami, who shot and killed Singh over a long-running dispute between the two, the Sacramento Bee reported Saturday.
Dhami has reportedly fled to India after the incident with help from friends.
"I think the jury did a good job," deputy district attorney Anthony Ortiz, who had asked the panel for a first-degree conviction on Gosal under an aiding and abetting theory, was quoted as saying.
"The case had some major issues and they worked through them, and I think they came to a just verdict."
According to Rick Fender, a member of the jury, the panel was badly split at the beginning of its deliberations, with the votes ranging from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter.
"There was going to have to be some compromise in this case," he said.
Fender said that although an aider or abettor can be considered just as guilty as the actual killer, "there was softness in people's judgment" of Gosal who actually did not shoot anybody.
Gosal's sentencing has been scheduled for Aug 9......IANS/NRIpress.com
Sacramento
Sikh Temple Shooting
Dr. Narinder Singh Parhar, president of
the 500-member Sacramento Sikh Society which hosted the Sunday
sports festival, said:
- Community leaders believe the fight arose from a dispute
between two rival groups.
- It's not a random act; it was motivated and planned
- Neither the suspects nor the victims are members of the south
Sacramento Sikh temple
- This is very unfortunate. In the future, we will definitely
make sure there is a police presence at all functions, especially
the sports functions.
- Board held an emergency meeting Sunday night, said the community
will work with police to apprehend "any of the miscreants,
or any of the mobsters or any criminal or unlawful activity.
- It's truly horrible that people who have these kinds of disputes
feel the need to settle them in public places.
SacGirl2008 wrote:
Yeah its sad to see Sac police trying to use the family to get
to the suspect. He is a grown man who is able to make his own
decisions and no one should be blamed but him. I agree it has
nothing to religion anyone could committ an act like this but
the media has blown it out of proportion due to the religion of
the suspects. Their are always two sides to a story, and no one
should judge, everyone should put themselves in his families shoes
and ask themselves on what they would have done if it was there
family memeber....Sacrament Bee
Family Members
Arrested As Accessories To Murder
On September 4, 2008, detectives assigned to the Sheriff’s
Major Crimes Bureau arrested 27-year-old Rajvir Kaur (Dhami’s
sister-in-law) and 28-year-old Harpreet Kaur (Dhami’s cousin-in-law).
On September 5, 2008, detectives arrested 29-year-old Buhpinder
Chahal (Dhami’s cousin), and 50-year-old Balbir Dhami (Dhami’s
father). Detectives believe all four of Dhami’s relatives
having knowledge the crime of murder had been committed, and that
he was a suspect, aided in his escape. Investigators fear Dhami
has left the area and may be attempting to leave the country.
Curran said one of the female suspects arrested was at the sporting
complex Saturday and helped Dhami flee by giving him keys to a
vehicle. The three other relatives "facilitated his flight
from his apprehension," Curran said.
Parshotam Singh,
father of Pama (died in shooting), said:
- His son had once been friends with Dhami.
- They were friends for seven or eight years before they had
a falling out
- Pamma and Dhami had fought, but he didn't know exactly why.
- I noticed they have (had) fights before, a couple of times,
but it's just hand-to-hand
- In 2002, his son a truck driver went to India and married
there
- He has a 3-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy
Family Feud Leads To Murder
One
NRI dead and One Wounded in Sacramento Sikh Temple Shooting
The shooting apparently stemmed from a longstanding
feud between two former friends
Sacramento, Sep. 01, 2008
Kulbir Singh
According to detectives, Amandeep Singh Dhami, 24,
and his friend, Gurpreet Singh Gosal, 24 entered the temple grounds
of the Sacramento Sikh Society on August 31 and fired several
shots while a cricket tournament was in progress.
Hundreds of people, including children as young
as 7, had gathered to compete in the Gurmukh Singh Johal Memorial
Tournament.
In the firing, Parmjit Pamma Singh, 26 was killed
and the second victim, 38, injured man was an innocent bystander
and not involved in the dispute, remains hospitalized in serious
condition. He is is expected to recover
The police sealed off the temple property and held
hundreds of spectators for several hours for interviews.
A Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman said:
- The shooting happened near the Sacramento Sikh Society building
at 7676 Bradshaw Road just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
- The victims were attending a regional Sikh sports tournament
going on next to the temple, when the gunmen approached and
fired several shots.
- Amandeep Singh Dhami, managed to elude the throng and is probably
trying to leave the country,
- Dhami is on five years' probation for dangerously firing a
weapon in 2007, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.
Bystanders were armed with cricket bats and field
hockey sticks were able to subdue one of the gunmen, Gurpreet
Singh Gosal while a second person Amandeep Singh Dhami was able
to escap. Gosal, the gunman was hospitalized with several blunt
force injuries and later charged.
The police said, records show that Gosal had lived
in Elk Grove before moving to Indiana, and he was in town visiting
Dhami.
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