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Balbir Singh Sodhi

 

 
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Balbir Singh Sodhi
 
 
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Balbir Singh Sodhi (1949 - September 15, 2001) was a Mesa
Mesa, Arizona

Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, in the U.S. state of Arizona and is a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area....
, Arizona
Arizona

The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
, gas station owner who was murdered in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He made headlines because he was the first of several cases across the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 that were reported to the police as acts of retaliation for the terrorist attacks. According to family members, Singh Sodhi had been distraught because of the terrorist attacks.

Born in Punjab, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, he was a member of the Sikh
Sikh

Sikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit ' "disciple, learner" or ' "instruction"....
 religion.






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Balbir Singh Sodhi (1949 - September 15, 2001) was a Mesa
Mesa, Arizona

Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, in the U.S. state of Arizona and is a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area....
, Arizona
Arizona

The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
, gas station owner who was murdered in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He made headlines because he was the first of several cases across the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 that were reported to the police as acts of retaliation for the terrorist attacks. According to family members, Singh Sodhi had been distraught because of the terrorist attacks.

Born in Punjab, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, he was a member of the Sikh
Sikh

Sikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit ' "disciple, learner" or ' "instruction"....
 religion. He moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
 in 1989, where he worked as a taxi driver. He later relocated to San Francisco
San Francisco, California

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States, with a 2007 estimated population of 799,183....
, where he continued to work in that capacity. He saved enough money to buy a gas station in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,552,259 residents, and is the anchor of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area with 4,179,427 residents....
, and then he moved there.

On September 15, 2001, he was shot five times by a gunman and died instantly. Apparently, he had been confused with a person of Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
ern ethnicity because of the clothes he wore, his turban
Turban

The turban is a headgear consisting of a long scarf-like single piece of cloth wound around either the head itself or an inner hat. The word "turban" is a common umbrella term, loosely used in English to refer to several sorts of head wrap....
, and his beard. Within 25 minutes of his death, the Phoenix police reported four further attacks on people who either were Middle Easterners or who dressed with clothes thought to be worn by Middle Easterners.

On August 4, 2002, less than a year after Balbir's death, his younger brother Sukhpal was shot to death while driving his taxicab in San Francisco, apparently killed by a stray bullet from a nearby gang
Gang

A gang is a Group of people who through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage share a common Identity . In current usage it typically denotes a organized crime or else a criminal affiliation....
 fight. In response to this second tragedy, Balbir's son, Sukhwinder said, "What are you going to do with anger? We like peace and we are a peaceful people." .

On September 30, 2003, Frank Roque
Frank Roque

Frank Silva Roque is a convicted murderer from Arizona who killed gas station owner Balbir Singh Sodhi four days after the September 11, 2001 attacks....
, age 44, was convicted of first-degree murder in the Singh case. On October 10, dismissing defense claims of diminished mental responsibility (Roque has a history of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia , from the Ancient Greek Root schizein and phren, phren- is a psychiatry diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality....
 and of hearing voices), jurors at Maricopa County Superior Court sentenced him to face the death penalty. In August 2006, Arizona Supreme Court overturned Roque's death sentence in return for a sentence of life in prison.

See also


  • Vincent Chin
    Vincent Chin

    Vincent Jen Chin was a Chinese American beaten to death in June 1982 in the United States, in the Detroit, Michigan enclave of Highland Park, Michigan by Chrysler plant superintendent Ronald Ebens, with the help of his stepson, Michael Nitz....


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