On the morning of Monday, December 6, 2021, Amit Kumar Patel, a 45-year-old man of Indian descent, was shot and killed outside the Synovus Bank on Buena Vista Road in Columbus, Georgia. Patel had gone to make a routine weekend deposit from his Chevron gas station at Steam Mill Road and Buena Vista Road. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene at 10:09 a.m. The shooter fled with the money after the daylight robbery.

Investigators say the attack does not appear to have been random and that Patel may have been targeted and followed from his business. He was described by his business partner as intelligent and calm, and he left behind a wife and a daughter who was celebrating her birthday the same day. The homicide remains unsolved and no arrests have been announced.

If anyone saw activity near the Chevron station or the Synovus Bank that morning, or has information about who targeted Patel, please come forward.