Vikram Jaryal killed in Washington convenience store robbery

Vikram Jaryal became the fifth Indian national or Indian American convenience store employee to be killed in the U.S. in the last two years.

SEATTLE (Diya TV) – Vikram Jaryal is the fifth Indian national or Indian American convenience store employee to be killed in the U.S. in the last two years. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said she received a report that 26-year-old Indian national Vikram Jaryal was shot dead in Washington on Thursday. “I have received a report on the shootout incident resulting in the tragic death of Indian national Vikram Jaryal in Washington,” she said in a series of tweets. Jaryal arrived in the U.S. just 25 days ago and was working at a family friend’s gas station, she added.

The victim was only 26 years old and had reached US only 25 days back. He was working at the gas station of a family friend. /2

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 8, 2017

“On April 6, two miscreants entered the shop at 1:30 am. They snatched cash from victim and shot his chest. This resulted in his death. We are coordinating with the investigative agencies. They have the CCTV footage and are in the process of apprehending the culprits.”

“Our consulate in San Francisco is helping the family and following this up with authorities,” She said in another tweet.

Jaryal, a Punjab native, has become the fifth Indian American or Indian national killed in the past two years at convenience stores across the United Sates. According to Yakima police, he was shot by two hooded assailants. Jaryal told police at the hospital before he died that the men who had attacked him entered the store wearing masks.

Data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statics, and analyzed by The American Bazaar, reveals there were 46 shooting deaths in convenience stores and gas stations across the country in 2015, making the job one of the nation’s most dangerous.

Last month, Harnish Patel, a convenience store owner was shot and killed outside his home in Lancaster, South Carolina. The Lancaster Police said although they have “developed and received leads from many sources,” no arrests have been made so far. Sanjay Patel, a gas station clerk in New Haven, Connecticut, was killed in April of 2015. He was shot three times in the chest and once in the hand, succumbing to his injuries at the hospital. According to witnesses in that incident, two masked men, dressed in dark clothing, were involved in the crime.

Rajesh Madala was murdered during another gas station robbery in Peoria, Illinois. The suspect was tracked down by police and killed during an exchange of gunfire.