Post by : Rameen Ariff

An Indian-origin motel manager was shot dead in Pittsburgh, United States, after he tried to help during a violent incident outside his motel. The victim, 51-year-old Rakesh Ehagaban, who managed the Pittsburgh Motel in Robinson Township, stepped outside on Friday evening after hearing a disturbance. According to a police complaint, he approached a man holding a gun and asked him, “Are you alright, bud?” Moments later, the suspect shot him in the head at point-blank range. Ehagaban died instantly at the scene.

The accused has been identified as 37-year-old Stanley Eugene West. Before shooting the motel manager, West had already fired at a woman outside the motel who was attempting to drive away in her black sedan. The woman, who had been staying at the motel with her child for the past two weeks, was hit in the neck but managed to drive away. Her child, who was sitting in the back seat, was unharmed. Surveillance footage showed that after killing Ehagaban, West calmly walked to a moving van parked nearby and drove away.

Police later tracked the suspect using license plate recognition cameras to the East Hills area of Pittsburgh. When officers tried to stop him, West opened fire on them, sparking a gun battle. Detectives returned fire, injuring West as well as a Pittsburgh police detective during the exchange. Both were rushed to hospital, where they remain in critical condition. The woman who was shot outside the motel is also in critical condition in hospital.

Authorities confirmed that West had been staying at the motel for some time. He has been charged with criminal homicide for killing Ehagaban, attempted homicide for shooting the woman and detective, and recklessly endangering another person. Police are still investigating the motive behind the shooting spree.

Ehagaban’s death has left the local Indian-American community in shock. Friends and colleagues described him as a kind and hardworking man who lost his life while trying to help others. His killing has been called one of the most disturbing acts of violence to take place in the Pittsburgh area in recent months.

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