Gujarati community in shock after US store employee shot dead by masked assailant

AHMEDABAD: In just about 26 seconds, a life was lost to gun violence in the US state of Virginia. A masked assailant entered a store and shot dead Meghna Patel, a 47-year-old Mehsana native. Shot at close range, she succumbed to injuries before help could arrive. Meghna, an employee at the store, had arrived in the US 10 years ago with her husband Upendra Patel and two children.

The incident, caught on CCTV cameras, has sent a shock wave in the Gujarati community in Virginia and in Meghna’s native, Jantral village of Mehsana’s Vijapur taluka. Sources said the entire incident unfolded within 26 seconds. Footage of the incident shows a masked man entering the store, briefly looking around and then pulling out a firearm concealed near his waist before opening fire at close range. After firing multiple rounds, the attacker is seen fleeing the spot within seconds.

Local police rushed to the scene soon after the firing and cordoned off the area. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and questioning witnesses to establish the motive behind the killing. Preliminary suspicion points towards a possible robbery attempt, though officials have not ruled out other angles, including personal rivalry or a targeted attack.

Jantral, where Patel’s parents live, has drowned in sorrow. Family members said she had moved to the US a decade ago for a better future and had been working alongside her husband to support the family. Villagers described her as soft-spoken and hardworking.

Her father, Karsan Patel, speaking to TOI from Jantral said, “Upendra had dropped Meghna at the store 30 minutes before the shooting. The two worked in different stores to earn their livelihood.” According to him, the assailant had shot someone else too in the vicinity about an hour earlier. “Justice should be delivered in the case,” he said.

Authorities in the US are yet to officially disclose the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting.