Kumar’s parents, sisters attend the funeral.
There was scarcely any dry eye at the funeral service for 30-year-old Neil Purush Kumar that was held on Sunday at the Dillard Funeral Home in Troy Alabama. At 3.30 pm, when the service started, no one could hold back their tears looking at the picture of the young man, gone too soon.
Those who had come to pay their respects were mourning how a young and promising life was short-circuited.
Kumar, who was a student at Troy University in Alabama, was shot by a robber on the morning of July 24, at a convenience store where he worked part-time as a store clerk.
Police have arrested the suspect, 23-year-old local resident, Leon Terrell Flowers, 23, who has been charged with capital murder and robbery.
Surveillance video released by police show that Flowers shot Kumar point blank.
RELATED: Suspect arrested in the murder of Indian student Neil Kumar in Alabama convenience store (July 29, 2019)
Kumar came to the US from the United Arab Emirates, where his family was based. His parents are from the Thrissur district in Kerala, India.
The small town of Brundidge in Alabama, where Kumar lived and worked, is still reeling with the shock of a crime committed within its vicinity.
On Sunday, a remembrance walk was held in the town of Brundidge during the evening. Mourners walked from Piggly Wiggly in Brundidge, AL, up till the City Hall. The walk was followed by a candle light service where the residents of the small city got together to pray for the young man’s family.
RELATED: Why are Indian American convenience store workers easy targets? Is not owning guns a factor? (May 10, 2019)
The locals and the police say that they had not seen a crime like this in the small town. At the Gulf gas station, where the J&S convenience store was located, a flower wreath is now placed in memory of Kumar with a banner saying, “From your Brundidge family.”
Kumar’s parents, who live in UAE, arrived from Dubai to Boston, where their two daughters live. The family flew down to Alabama for the funeral.
Kumar, who studied computer science at Troy University, was also mourned by his friends and faculty at the school.
Local news outlet WTVY.com reported that suspect Flowers had four felony convictions and was released on probation April 30. Previously charged with felony murder, Flowers had pleaded down to manslaughter in the case and was given credit for time served while awaiting trial.
The website, quoting Pike County District Attorney Thomas Anderson, said, in that case, the father of the victim had asked for leniency.
READ MORE:
Vikram Jaryal fifth Indian American, or Indian killed in US convenience store robberies in 2 years (April 8, 2017)
Two Indian Americans murdered in separate incidents in California (August 2, 2017)
Indian American storekeeper shot during armed robbery in Ohio dead (December 14, 2017)
Indian American Sikh store clerk shot dead during armed robbery in Mississippi (November 29, 2017)
Indian student Dharmapreet Singh Jasser shot dead at a grocery store near Madera in California (November 16, 2017)