Tejpal Singh was a 60-year-old husband and father who was murdered while working a shift at a Chevron station in Lynnwood, WA. The gunman has yet to be identified as the community mourns its loss.
On Sunday, September 26, the city of Snohomish lost a dear member of its community. Tejpal Singh, a Snohomish city resident, was going about his opening routine at the Chevron station in Lynnwood where he worked when a masked gunman took his life. Singh, 60, left behind his wife and their three children.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s department is still investigating the case. They believe the gunman was attempting to rob the store before fleeing the scene. The Sheriff’s Department obtained a photo of the suspect and shared it on Twitter, asking anyone who can identify the individual to call 911.
Remembering Tejpal Singh
While the tweet has been shared over 45 times, a comment about Singh speaks to the loving person he was and how his kind demeanor had a positive impact on his community.
“He didn’t deserve this,” wrote a Twitter user who claimed to have worked with Singh. “He was the most wholesome man I’ve ever met and I worked with him for about a year.”
Further evidence of Singh’s lasting impression can be seen in the Go Fund Me campaign for funeral services. Within the first 18 hours, the “Funeral Services for Tejpal Singh” fundraiser raised over $40,000.
“He was [a] very gentle and cooperative person and always ready to help [a] needy person,” wrote one of the more than 420 donors. “This is [a] very very irreparable loss to us. May God give his soul peace in heaven.”
For 21 years, Singh worked at the Chevron station at 148th Street and Highway 99 in Lynnwood, WA. Inside the station, the location’s owner set up a memorial with a photo of Singh surrounded by flowers and balloons.
Kelly Johal, who was Singh’s employer, told the Lynnwood Times that those who wish to see the impact he left on the community should come to the candlelight vigil tomorrow, Wednesday, September 29. The vigil will be held at the previously mentioned Chevron and begins at 6 pm.
Snohomish Mayor John Kartak also commented on the tragedy and how it is felt throughout the smaller city. “My heart goes out to Singh and his family and those who knew him. It’s always a tragic story when someone gets shot down like that,” he told the Lynnwood Times. “And something like this always hits close to home here in this small community.”
A similar tragedy a little over a year ago and twenty-minutes away
A similar tragedy took place in February of last year, at a 7-Eleven in Edmonds. Nagendiram Kandasamy, 64, was shot and killed during a 16-hour shift. Kandasamy was also a loving husband and father.
The suspect was described as “only a white man in his 20’s” according to King 5’s report. Security footage captures the gunman running into the store, jumping onto the check-out counter, and firing his weapon.
A year later and the investigation is ongoing. What’s more, the 7-Eleven where Kandasamy was killed is just about a 20-minute drive down Highway 99 from where Singh was murdered.
Regarding the investigation, Edmonds City Police told the Times that “No charges have been brought forth at this time. But our detectives continue to very diligently work that investigation.”
As King 5 reported last year, a 23-year-old man and his 24-year-old girlfriend, both from Enumclaw, were arrested in relation to the case. However, Edmonds police informed the Times that the woman has since been released while the man is currently in custody on unrelated charges.
Anyone with information regarding Tejpal Singh’s murder can click here to leave a tip or, per the Snohomish County Sheriff’s tweet, call 9-1-1.
Anyone with information regarding Nagendiram Kandasamy’s murder can contact Edmonds Police via their Tip Line at 425-771-0212 or their email at Policetips@edmondswa.gov.
Author: Bo John Brusco
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