Indian-American Woman Shot Dead During Carjacking Attempt

By Little India Desk | November 16, 2018

An Indian-American woman was shot dead in Albany, Georgia on Nov. 10, when a man trying to carjack their vehicle failed in his attempt.

Dharmishthaben Patel, 33, was shot around 10.44 pm, near Devi’s Convenience Store.  She was immediately rushed to a hospital where she later died of her wounds, the Albany Police said in a press statement.

The accused, who remains unidentified, first tried to open the door of the car in which Patel and her husband were seated and when he failed in his attempt, he fired at the car injuring Patel.

The police said that the shooting incident appears to be a carjacking or robbery attempt.

According to a report in WTXL, the police have obtained and released the CCTV footage of the crime scene to nab the culprit.

Video source: Albany GA Police Department

“Surveillance video revealed that a black male, dressed in dark clothing, wearing a hoodie, a mask, and blue gloves was walking in the 1400 block of North Madison Street,” the Albany Police Department said in its press statement.

The suspect started traveling on 7^th Avenue but soon he turned around and started walking through the parking lot of 1400 Palmyra Road (Devi’s Convenience Store). He approached the victim’s vehicle and tried to open the driver side door, the police said.

“Bharat Ishvar Patel, the victim’s husband, tries to drive away. The suspect fires a shot into the vehicle striking Ms. Patel in the back of her left shoulder. Mr. Patel then drives Ms. Patel to the emergency room where she dies from the gunshot wound,” said police.

To nab the killer, the police have sought help from the community. Convenience stores in the area have also announced reward any information leading to the identification or arrest of the shooter.

Store owners of Woodall and Homerun Foods have offered $1,000 each to people providing any lead that will help in identification of the killer, WALB news reported.

It quoted convenience store Woodall’s co-owner Wright Woodall as saying, “We hope more people will step up and contribute to catching these people because if not, not only do the businesses suffer but the neighborhoods suffer, and people suffer in general.”

Walker Lanier, Vice President of Retail Operations of Brad Lanier Oil Co., which runs Homerun Foods, said, “We’ve got to get this guy off the streets. Right now we know there is somebody out there who has done this before, and we want him off the streets.”