Charan Kamal, a 20-year-old Indian man who works as a clerk at a 7-Eleven store in Antioch, Calif., was shot a single time late at night Nov. 30, during a robbery attempt. The Antioch Police Department had not named the victim as of Dec. 1. But Harpreet Singh, another clerk at the store, told India-West that the victim’s name is Charan Kamal.
Kamal was taken to an area hospital and is expected to survive the incident. Harjeet Singh said Kamal had arrived to the U.S. a year ago, and generally worked the late-night shift at the store. Singh said there was no damage to the store and no other employees were injured. The shop remained open the following day after the shooting.
Two suspects were arrested shortly after the incident and are in custody on bail of $1.22 million each, Antioch Police Department Sgt. Tom Fuhrmann told India-West. Angelo Ninoamaya, 20, and Rebecca Hernandez, 19, both of nearby Pittsburg, Calif., have been booked into Contra Costa, Calif., County Jail on charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary, conspiracy and accessory to a crime. Neither Ninoamaya nor Hernandez have any prior convictions.
According to police reports, at approximately 11:50 in the evening on Nov. 30, a 911 caller reported a shot being fired inside the 7-Eleven store at 4901 Lone Tree Way in Antioch. The caller followed the vehicle as it left the scene, but then lost sight of the car.
An APD officer responded to the call and located the car. The officer then initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle, and found evidence of the crime. Police did not state what evidence was found inside the car.
Ninoamaya and Hernandez were arrested without incident, according to police. The following day, police searched Ninoamaya’s residence in Pittsburg and found additional evidence linking him to the shooting and robbery attempt. The Antioch Police Department is working with the Pittsburg Police Department to determine whether the suspects had committed a similar robbery earlier in the day.
Fuhrmann told the media that there was no evidence that the case was racially motivated. In the three weeks since terrorists stormed Paris Nov. 13, killing 130 people, Sikh and Muslim Americans have been on high alert, as hate crimes are often perpetuated against members of both communities after terrorist incidents.
Sam Singh, 33, who was working with Kamal on the evening of Nov. 30, told KGO that the two suspects tried to shoot him, after shooting his co-worker. “He just pulled the gun on me,” Singh told the television station.
Singh said there was a problem with the gun, which wouldn’t shoot again. He said he gave Ninoamaya all the money in the cash register. The suspect took the money and left. Singh described Kamal as hard-working, noting that he worked 10 hours per day.
