Balagopal Paruchuri was the father of 2 children.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: An Indian convenience store owner and father of two children, Balagopal Paruchuri, 40, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in an armed robbery, in Longs, Horry County, South Carolina, this past Friday night.
Lt. Raul Denis, spokesman for the Horry County Police Department, says officers were called to the Sunhouse Convenience Store in the 7400-block of Highway 905 around 10 p.m., according to WBTW News 13
Upon arrival, officers found Paruchuri’s body inside of the store. Horry County deputy coroner Michelle McSpadden says Paruchuri, a resident of Myrtle Beach, died of multiple gunshot wounds.
In an official police report obtained by News13, a witness told police he was exiting a bathroom in the store when he saw three black males robbing Paruchuri who also worked as a store clerk. The witness told police he heard one of the men say, “give it up.”
The police report reveals officers found several shell casings inside of the convenience store during the investigation.
Jerry Seymour, a colleague of the deceased, has worked as a clerk at the Sunhouse Convenience Store for the past four years. He says he’s had a few close calls behind the counter himself.
“I’ve been held up twice, the first time was with a gun. The second time they reached over the counter,” he was reported as saying.
But he says nothing prepared him for the news of Paruchuri’s death.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry for what happened. We just celebrated Christmas together”.
Seymour said Paruchuri owned the store and would have been closing for the night at 10 pm; and says he saw his co-worker just hours earlier. “I opened up (Friday) morning, worked until 12; then Bala took over at 12 till ten.”
He added: “It’s gotta stop. These people, whoever did it, they need to be punished. His kids, I think 8 and 12, are without a father the rest of their lives.”
The Hindu reported that Paruchuri, a native of Chitturpu village in Ghantasala mandal in Andhra Pradesh, is survived by wife Soujanya, son Chandu, 10, and daughter Likitha,12.
Myrtle Beach Online reported that on Saturday when another colleague of the deceased Mike Hallak opened the store on Saturday morning, he was not aware of the shooting, and was shocked to hear the news.
“Mr. Bala was a good man, a very good man,” Hallak said. “It’s a tragic situation. It’s shocking. This morning when I heard about it, I couldn’t believe it.”
The Hindu reported that the state IT Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy, expressing his condolences to the bereaved family, said the state government was in touch with the Indian Embassy and members of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) in this regard.
Paruchuri, an engineering graduate, had completed his education from Andhra Loyola College and left for the US in 2001.
The Times of India reported the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu asked the government special representative in Delhi, Kambhampati Rammohan Rao, to extend all possible assistance to the victim’s family. Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who knew the family of the victim for several years, reportedly spoke to the Indian Embassy authorities in US and requested them to help the family of the deceased.