Pinakin Patel

On a Thursday afternoon in Danville, Virginia, the life of Pinakin Patel was tragically cut short in a violent encounter. The 47-year-old Southwest Asian man, a husband and father of two, worked alongside his wife at the family-owned Airport Mart Exxon on South Boston Road. A friend to his customers and a beloved community member, Patel was killed on April 17, 2025, after a dispute over an alleged theft escalated into a fatal shooting.

The incident began around 12:41 p.m. when a customer, later identified as 21-year-old Jaelynn Lowen, reportedly became agitated. A store clerk testified that Lowen was upset after being asked for identification to buy cigarettes and that his subsequent attempt to use Apple Pay failed. Lowen then left the store with the unpaid items. Patel followed him into the parking lot to confront him. Surveillance footage showed that as Patel stood near Lowen's blue Honda Odyssey van, Lowen exited his vehicle and shot Patel multiple times before driving away. Emergency services found Patel in the parking lot with gunshot wounds and transported him to SOVAH Danville, where he was pronounced dead.

The Danville Police Department immediately launched an investigation. With the help of the city's new license plate reader system and tips from the community, investigators located the suspect's Honda Odyssey on Halifax Road. Police identified Jaelynn Lowen as the primary suspect and issued warrants for his arrest on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. On the day of the shooting, police also arrested another 21-year-old man, Keontae Tarpley, in Danville, charging him as an accessory after the fact.

A few days later, on Sunday, April 20, authorities apprehended Jaelynn Lowen in Louisiana. He was extradited back to Danville at the end of the month to face the charges against him. Following a preliminary hearing in June where evidence was presented, the case was advanced to a grand jury.

In October 2025, Jaelynn Lowen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and related firearms charges. In January 2026, a judge sentenced Lowen to a total of 43 years in prison with 10 years suspended. His active sentence is 33 years, which will be followed by five years of probation.