Elk Grove murder case UPDATE

Statement from Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner regarding Friday's homicide:

Detectives have been conducting interviews of possible witnesses to the shooting and its aftermath and have been canvassing the area in an effort to locate additional witnesses.  At present, there is no evidence that would indicate a hate or bias motivation for the crime but neither is there any evidence to eliminate that possibility. 

Due to the unusual nature of this case, Elk Grove Police Chief Robert M. Lehner issued the following statement late Saturday:

“The Elk Grove Police Department needs your assistance in our investigation of the shooting that occurred on Friday in our city.  Two men of Indian descent, were shot while enjoying what, for them, was a traditional afternoon walk.

At present, we have no evidence to indicate there was a hate or bias motivation for this crime; however, the obvious Sikh appearance of the men, including the traditional Dastar headwear and lack of any other apparent motive, increasingly raise that possibility.

As soon as it can be arranged, we will be meeting with representatives of the Sikh community to discuss this case and any particular needs and concerns they might have as a result of this terrible incident.  The City of Elk Grove is a marvelously diverse community and the possibility that one of our valued community groups might have been targeted because of their national origin or religion is of grave concern.  We will diligently investigate that possibility and, should it be determined that there was a hate motivation, will spare no effort to identify the perpetrator and see that he, she, or they are brought to justice.  On a related note, we have made preliminary notification to the local FBI office because bias-motivated crimes are a violation of Federal as well as State Law.

Because of the lack of information available from the scene, we really need the public’s assistance in this case.  Anyone who may have been a witness either to the incident itself or some other, possibly related incident or behavior, is urged to call us.  Even if it turns out to be unrelated, we would much rather have had the opportunity to look into something than to miss a possible connection.  If you have any possibly related information at all, please call us.

In the meantime, our thoughts and condolences are with the families, friends, and associates of the victims of this senseless crime and we wish Mr. Atwal a speedy and complete recovery.”

Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call the Elk Grove Police Department Communication Center (916) 714-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357).  Callers to Crime Alert can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00.  Tips can also be sent via SMS text message by entering CRIMES (274637) on a cell phone, followed by Tip732 and the message.