Man charged in the killing of Indian-American store clerk in the US

THE alleged suspect was charged in the shooting death of Indian-American store clerk in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.

Last week, the Luzerne County district attorney’s office said that criminal charges including homicide have been filed against suspect Jafet Rodriguez for the alleged murder of Ashokkumar Patel in December last year.

According to a press statement, the suspect Rodriguez entered the store at Craig’s Food Mart, where Patel was working, dressed in a red sweatshirt, black gloves, and a black face mask with white smiling teeth design.

Rodriguez shoved Patel into a closet and fired a single gunshot to Patel’s head and neck area causing Patel to collapse to the ground. The suspect then rushed to an area behind the counter, and stole more than $14,000 which the investigators determined later, and fled the store.

Patel crawled to the counter and dialed 911 from his cellphone but succumbed to the injury before he could inform authorities of the incident, the statement further said.

GPS data on Rodriguez’s cell phone demonstrated that he traveled from his home, to Craig’s Food Mart, and then back to his home around the time of Patel’s murder.

He then left his home carrying a trash bag and drove to 410 E. Diamond Avenue, where Rodriguez owned and operated an auto detailing business.

On January 8, 2021, Hazleton City Police and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office executed a search warrant at 410 E. Diamond Avenue. Inside of a trash bag, investigators found the same red sweatshirt, black gloves, and a black face mask with the white smiling teeth design, the press release said.

Rodriguez has been in police custody since his arrest on the possession of drug charges on December 19, 2020.