Surinder Singh was shot dead on August 25th.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Three New Jersey men have been arrested for their involvement in the shooting of an Indian American.
Forty year-old Surinder Singh was shot in the upper chest in the fatal attack that occurred on August 25th. The three men who have been charged with his slaying are 22 year-olds Cordero Hodge and Jamell Pierce, and 24 year-old Isaiah Williams. The former two are from Camden, NJ, while Williams hails from Woodbury, NJ.
Singh was killed at the Garden State Fuel gas station, where he worked. He was pumping gas at the time of his death, with his cousin (whose name has not been disclosed) working inside the convenience store that housed the gas station. After being shot, a driver passing by saw Singh lying on the street and immediately called 911. Singh was rushed to Woodbury’s Inspira Medical Center, where doctors were unable to save his life. He was pronounced dead at 9:37 PM.
The three youths are charged with murder, felony murder, complicity in a crime, conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, and the illegal possession of a weapon. It is not yet clear who fired the fatal shot at Singh. Bail has been set at $750,000 for Pierce and Williams, and $1 million for Hodge.
The gas station – located in Woodbury on the 900 block of North Broad Street – now houses a memorial to Singh, who was killed in an apparent robbery attempt that went awry. He is said to have often brought his wife and children, who are two years old and six months old, to the gas station with him. Singh was a well-liked individual in the community, and a frequent patron of the Colonial Diner located near his workplace.