Montgomery, AL: A 76-year-old Indian-origin motel owner Pravin Raojibhai Patel has been shot dead in Sheffield, Alabama following a confrontation over room rent.
Patel, the owner of the Hillcrest Motel, was gunned down February 8 after which police arrested 34-year-old William Jeremy Moore, as per news reports. Moore was arrested shortly after the incident as he was trying to break into an abandoned house, Sheffield Police Chief Ricky Terry said.
Terry added that Moore is currently being held in the Sheffield City Jail until a warrant is issued after which he will be transported to the Colbert County Jail.
According to investigators, Moore wanted to rent a room at the motel when an altercation with Patel took place on February 8, following which the former pulled a handgun and shot the elderly man.
Calling the incident a “senseless act of violence”, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) said on Thursday that the country’s hotel owners are “deeply saddened, shocked, and outraged”.
