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Local Sikh Community to Hold Press Conference; Offer $10K Reward for Info on Shooting March 6, 2011: Tomorrow, Monday, March 7, 2011, the Sacramento Sikh American community will be holding a press conference announcing a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooting of two elderly Sikh American men this past Friday in Elk Grove, CA. Joining the Sikh American community will be leaders from local civil rights and interfaith organizations as well. WHAT: Press Conference Reacting to Shooting of Two Elderly Sikh Americans WHEN: Monday, March 7th, 10 a.m. (PST) WHERE: Sikh Temple Sacramento 2301 Evergreen Avenue, West Sacramento, CA Surinder Singh, 67-years-old, and his friend Gurmej Atwal, 78-years-old, were shot on East Stockton Boulevard during their daily afternoon walk. A nearby driver spotted the bodies of the elderly men along the sidewalk and stopped to call the police. Surinder Singh was found dead. Gurmej Atwal, who was shot twice in the chest, is in critical but stable condition. Both men wore dastaars (Sikh turbans) and had beards in accordance with their Sikh faith. READ MORE: Elk Grove shooting investigated as possible hate crime (News10-TV) READ MORE: Attack on two Sikh men seen as possible hate crime (Sac Bee) “These attacks on two innocent and elderly individuals are completely inexcusable,” said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh, from Oakland, CA. “We urge the Elk Grove Police Department and the FBI to ensure a thorough investigation is conducted and that hate crime charges are fully investigated against any culprits that are found.” The Sikh American community of Sacramento, Stockton and Yuba City, along with SALDEF, are offering a $10,000 reward for information on the crime. Additionally. the Elk Grove Police Department has issued a $1,000 reward and the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) today offered a $5,000 reward for information related to the attacks. Just four months ago, a Sikh cab driver was brutally assaulted in West Sacramento, CA after picking up passengers at a local restaurant. The assailants, who yelled anti-Islamic remarks as they beat the 56 year old driver, were apprehended by the police. READ MORE: Sacramento Sikh Cab Driver Severely Beaten (SALDEF) –END— CONTACT: Kavneet Singh,Managing Director, 510.545.4569, kavneet@saldef.org |
