A store clerk was shot and killed at his business in Benicia during the course of a suspected robbery late Tuesday night, and the suspect remains on the loose, according to police.
At about 10:05 p.m., officers responded to an alarm call at the Rose Market on Columbus Parkway, police said. When officers arrived, they found a man who was working at the business unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound.
Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, police said.
The man was identified by family members as Bahadur Singh.
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"He was a very nice guy," Mandib Nijjaf said. "He was a gentle person."
Friends said he was a father of two and everyone knew him as Singh.
"I see him everyday," Chris Guerrera said. "He's here before me. He leaves after me. He's a small business owner and just welcomes everyone into his shop."
The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived, and investigators believe the shooting happened during a robbery, police said.
Surveillance footage from a business next door shows a person running from the area minutes after the shooting.
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"We have detectives and every available resources working to identify the suspect," Benicia police Chief Mike Greene said.
It's the second homicide in Benicia this year after the city went 10 years, 2012 to 2021, without one, police said.
