Indian-origin victim's widow pleads for 'selflessness, love'

The widow of Harnish Patel, an Indian-origin businessman who was shot dead outside his home in South Carolina, has made a plea for "selflessness and love" to honour his memory.

"To honour the memory of Harnish, please continue to demonstrate selflessness and love to one another each and every day," Sonal Patel said in a statement on Thursday to the local daily, Lancaster News.

Harnish Patel's brother, Nirav said that Sonal was staying strong and focused getting her and her son's lives back to as normal as possible, the daily reported.

Harnish Patel, who immigrated to the US in 2003, ran a convenience store. He was shot on March 2 when he reached his house in Lancaster, South Carolina, after closing the store.

As for the motive behind his killing, Nirav Patel told the Lancaster News: "We just don't know. Nobody knows yet."

The family was "very good friends with the law enforcement community, and they trust them completely. Right now, we're just letting them do their job," he added.

Meanwhile, Doug Barfield, a lawyer for the sheriff's office, told the daily that a full team of investigators were working on the case with the help of state law enforcement agents.

Many people were interviewed but no arrests so far.

--IANS

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