36-year-old Indian-American Sikh was killed in an alleged hate crime in Arizona.
A 36 year old Sikh was shot dead in an armed robbery incident at a convenience store in Arizona, United States of America. Amanjeet Singh Toor was shot dead early Monday morning at the store where he worked as a manager. The assailant then chased the other employees out of the store before returning to grab a bag, police added.
The police, along with Mr Toor's family are seeking public's help to find the attacker. The shooter has been described wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, face mask and red gloves. Mr Toor had emigrated from India six years ago with his wife Kamaldeep Kaur joining him recently.
"This was a very hard loss for us. He was a role model for most of us," Mr Toor's cousin Micky Gill said yesterday at Phoenix police headquarters. About 2,500-3,000 Sikh families live in the Phoenix metro area.
The incident once again raises concerns over the safety of Sikh-Americans who have been targeted, in the years since the 9/11 attacks, because of their articles of faith, the beard and turban. Rana Singh Sodhi, a Sikh and community activist, spoke on behalf of Mr Toor's family, calling for the community to come together to find the perpetrator.
"He handed over the money, but was still shot. It begs the question (of racism)," Mr Sodhi said. "We are new immigrants in this area, but we request the community come out and help get this person behind bars," he said.
Mr Sodhi's brother was also killed in a hate crime in Mesa just four days after the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center in New York.
"Fifteen years later and we are still not treated right. They come into our stores, give us the finger and shout, 'Go back to your country. This is a common thing for us. Any terrorist attack that happens, we get affected every year. Our lives have not been the same since 9/11," Mr Sodhi said.