Sikh gas station owner shot dead in Newark

NEWARK, NJ — A gas station owner was shot dead in Newark and the man’s family said they thought he was targeted because he was Sikh.

Davinder Singh, 47, was shot at the Power Gas Station on West Market Street some time before 4:25 pm on June 6.

The police said Singh, of Iselin, was found unresponsive at the gas station and taken to a University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 4:45 pm.

Singh’s son, Jatinder Singh, said that he thought his father, who had moved to the United States from India 25 years ago, might have been targeted because he was Sikh and wore a turban.

"There was no robbery, no struggle, no confrontation," he said. "I don’t know what else it could be other than a hate crime."

The son said the 47-year-old had been robbed before but had always fought back. But this time, he didn’t even have a chance.

"My dad came out to get some fresh air and the male came up to my dad, pointed a gun and shot him point-blank," he said.

Detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the shooting. They didn’t comment as to whether the case was being investigated as a hate crime.