<failure notice>

[restate]

>store owner killed in spree 
>Was racially motivated, brother says

(hunting for victims)

>Mike Rynearson/The Arizona Republic
>Harjit Singh Sodhi (center) and Sarabjit Singh Sodhi (left) talk to the 
>media about the killing of their brother.

(hunting for victims)

>By Sarah Anchors
>Sept. 16, 2001 12:00:00

(hunting for victims)

>A gunman shot at two Mesa gas stations and a house Saturday afternoon, 
>killing the owner of one of the stores, police said.

(hunting for victims)

>No one was injured in the last two shootings, and police say the don't 
>have a motive for the attacks. But the family of Balbir Singh Sodhi, 49, 
>the victim of the first shooting, believes he was killed because he looked 
>Middle Eastern.

(hunting for victims)

>Sgt. Mike Goulet said the police are not classifying the shootings as hate 
>crimes.

(hunting for victims)

>But Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, who was at scene, said, "This is 
>not going to be tolerated. I'm going to use all of our resources to deal 
>with this. We've had a terrible national tragedy, but there is no excuse 
>for anything like this."

(hunting for victims)

>No arrests had been made as of late Saturday, though police said they were 
>talking to an unidentified investigative lead.

(hunting for victims)

>Mike Rynearson/The Arizona Republic 
>A woman and child look on at the scene where Mesa gas station owner Balbir 
>Singh Sodhi was killed. 

(hunting for victims)

>Harjit Singh Sodhi, 40, of Mesa, said the killer targeted his brother 
>because he had dark skin, a black beard and turban. The Sodhis are from 
>Punjab, India, and practice the Sikh religion.

(hunting for victims)

>"Some people don't understand, because we are different, because we look 
>like (terrorist Osama) bin Laden," Sodhi said. "But we are not Muslim."

(hunting for victims)

>Saad Saad, 35, of Scottsdale, is the owner of the Mobil station where the 
>second shooting occurred, at 3565 S. Val Vista Drive. He said the shooter, 
>who was driving a black Chevrolet S10 pickup truck, aimed at the clerk, a 
>male of Lebanese descent. Saad said the clerk does not have dark skin and 
>was dressed in a Mobil uniform.

(hunting for victims)

>Balbir Singh Sodhi moved to the United States 10 years ago and worked as a 
>taxi driver in San Francisco before joining his brother in Phoenix. He 
>opened the Chevron station, at 7956 E. University Drive, more than a year 
>ago.

(hunting for victims)

>He is the father of three sons, ages 22, 24 and 27. He was planning to 
>return to India in November to live with his youngest son and wife. Now 
>the family in India is trying to get visas to come to the United States, 
>Harjit said.

(hunting for victims)

>Neighbors and store visitors said Balbir always had a kind word, handed 
>out candy free to children and allowed skateboarding teens to hang around.

(hunting for victims)

>Harjit Sodhi said his brother was very bright, earning perfect scores on 
>Chevron's qualifying test for prospective station owners.

(hunting for victims)

>Guru Roop Kaur Khalsa, cleric at the Sikh temple in Phoenix, said Balbir 
>Sodhi was a "very quiet person" and devoted to hosting weekly dinners for 
>the congregations.

(hunting for victims)

>Harjit Sodhi and Saad said people had launched verbal epithets at both 
>stations since Tuesday's terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and 
>Pentagon. Sodhi said he cautioned workers to stay inside, while Saad 
>brushed off the comments.

(hunting for victims)

>Neighbor Carmen Antolin, 26, said she tried to reassure Balbir, known as 
>"Bell," about the verbal assaults.

(hunting for victims)

>"Tuesday, I said hi to Bell, and he was really quiet, not like himself," 
>Carmen said. "Some guy walked in there and said some bad words, . . . and 
>he walked out.

(hunting for victims)

>"I told Bell, 'Don't worry, everything's going to be OK.' "

(good will prevail)



>President George W. Bush:
>Great tragedy has come to us, and we are meeting it with
>the best that is in our country, with courage and concern
>for others. Because this is America. This is who we are.
>This is what our enemies hate and have attacked.
>And this is why we will prevail.

good vs evil.

i do understand.