Ashokkumar Patel, a 50-year-old immigrant from India, was working as a clerk at Craig’s Food Mart on Broad Street in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, on the evening of December 12, 2020. He had been on the job about a week when, while mopping the floor, he was ambushed during an armed robbery. The assailant forced Patel into a back room and shot him in the head and neck; Patel later crawled to a phone and dialed 911 but died before help could reach him.

Surveillance video from the store captured the shooter wearing a red and orange sweatshirt and a mask with white skull teeth. Prosecutors say the suspect was a frequent gambler at the store’s video gaming machines and knew large amounts of cash were kept on the premises; $14,000 was taken during the incident. Investigators later used surveillance, GPS and cellphone data, DNA testing of a bloodstain on clothing, and tips to identify and arrest a suspect.

The case raises questions about security at businesses hosting gaming machines and about how familiarity with a location may be used to plan violent robberies. If anyone knew Patel, worked with him, or saw suspicious activity at Craig’s Food Mart around December 12, 2020, please come forward with information.