Haryana man shot dead in US after stopping local from urinating outside store

Dubai: A 26-year-old man from Haryana’s Jind district was shot dead in California after he allegedly asked a passerby not to urinate on the roadside outside the store where he worked as a security guard, according to media reports.

The victim, Kapil, a resident of Brah Kalan village, had moved to the US in 2022 after reportedly paying Rs4.5 million to an agent and taking the risky “donkey route” through Panama and Mexico.

His family said he had applied for a green card and was working hard to build a future, but his life was cut short in an act of sudden violence.

“We got information from US police officials about Kapil’s death. They told us he had simply asked a man not to urinate on the road when the incident occurred,” said his uncle, Ramesh Kumar, who runs a tractor agency in Jind’s Pillu Khera.

The tragedy has devastated the family. Kapil, son of a small farmer, is survived by his parents and two sisters. “Our dreams were shattered. He had applied for a green card and we were expecting his bright future,” Ramesh added. The family has been told Kapil’s post-mortem will be conducted Wednesday due to a holiday in the US.

The family now faces the additional burden of repatriation costs, estimated at Rs1.5 million. Village sarpanch Suresh Gautam said he would accompany the family to meet the Jind Deputy Commissioner to seek government assistance in bringing the body home, Hindustan Times said.

Kapil’s death is the latest in a string of violent incidents involving Indians in the United States this year. In May, an Indian-origin shopkeeper was fatally shot during a robbery, while in March a young woman and her father were killed in Virginia after a man opened fire when told the store was closed.

A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News — both in print and online — focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. Stephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes — shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. For the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging.