Lancaster County Sheriff’s Deputies have arrested three suspects in connection of the murder case of a 43-year-old Indian-American store owner, who was shot dead outside his home in South Carolina in March.
The murder incident alarmed the Indian-American community in the U.S.
Harnish Patel the owner of a convenience store in Lancaster County was found dead of gunshot wounds in the front yard of his home.
The three suspects are being accused of a conspiracy to commit robbery. The police documents describe the incident as “smash an Indian.”
23-year-old Jaquinton Tradell Blair, 22-year-old LaJames Arteian Ross, and 42-uear-old Richard Stewart had roles in the conspiracy, according to the arrest warrants.
While Blair and Ross have been charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, are both jailed under US $85,000 bond, Stewart was with conspiracy and accessory to armed robbery before the fact and is being held without bond.
Before the incident, Stewart consulted with Blair and Ross, provided ammunition and information for the robbery and "did nothing to prevent the incident”.
The warrants cite the words "smash an Indian", as used by the three people arrested.
A spokesperson for the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, said that he was not aware of any hate crime probe launched by federal authorities.
Shard Patel, president of the Rock Hill Indian Association said: "We helped the family through this tough time, but this news raises some questions about where we stand and how safe we are in the country."
"We definitely want justice for the family," Sharad said.
Patel closed his store and drove in his silver minivan to his nearby home, which is about 6 km, where authorities believe he was confronted by his killer.
On June 21 Lancaster County Sheriff's Office posted an update of the incident.
“Arrests have been made in connection with the homicide of Harnish Patel on March 2, 2017. Jaquinton Tradell Blair, age 23, of Lancaster, was arrested on June 6, 2017, and charged with Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery. Lajames Arteian Ross, age 22, of Charlotte, was arrested on June 8, 2017, and also charged with Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery. Richard Devauhn Stewart, age 42, of Lancaster, was arrested on June 8, 2017, and charged with Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery and Accessory Before the Fact of Attempted Armed Robbery. All three remain in the Lancaster County Detention Center. Blair and Ross have $85,000.00 bonds, and bond was denied for Stewart.
Although no one has yet been charged with the murder of Mr. Patel, our investigators continue to work this case hard,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “We are continuing to put information together and will not slow down until we are satisfied we have the whole story and have arrested the person or persons directly responsible for Mr. Patel’s death.”
AMandeep
