WEST COVINA, CA – A deadly robbery incident left a man dead at Big Bob’s Liquors and Market in West Covina. An employee was shot dead while trying to prevent a robbery. The incident took place around 9 p.m. on Sunday, during a confrontation with two men who had entered the store with the intent to steal.
The employee, 34-year-old Karan Singh, was found unresponsive outside the store when police arrived in response to a reported armed robbery. Despite the swift response of emergency medical services, who transported Singh to the hospital, he did not survive his injuries.
The West Covina Police Department, with support from the L.A. County sheriff’s homicide investigators, is leading the investigation into the shooting. Surveillance footage from the store has revealed two individuals of interest, one dressed in a white T-shirt and khaki pants, and the other in all black. Witnesses reported seeing two suspects fleeing the scene in a white SUV shortly after the shooting.
Singh, who was the brother-in-law of the store owner, had been in the U.S. for less than a year, having moved from India. He was working to save money to bring his wife and 12-year-old son to the U.S. The store owner, who himself started as a clerk when he first arrived in the U.S. in the 90s, had a practice of providing jobs to family and friends newly arrived from Indi and helping them to settle into the community.
Singh had recently transitioned from working in the stockroom to the register, and was known for his friendly demeanor. The owner, who bought the store in 2006, stated that there had been no serious incidents at the store until this recent tragedy, which has left the community in shock. The search for the two suspects is ongoing, and authorities are urging anyone with relevant information about the incident to contact the West Covina Police Department.