A 51-year-old motel owner in Robinson, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot in the head after he stepped outside to check on a violent dispute unfolding in his parking lot — moments after asking the shooter, “Are you alright, bud?”
Police identified the victim as Rakesh Ehagaban, who owned the motel where the gunman, 37-year-old Stanley Eugene West, had been staying. Investigators said the confrontation began when West allegedly shot his female companion in the neck as she sat inside a car parked outside the motel on Friday afternoon.
According to the arrest affidavit, the woman, who had a child with her, tried to drive away in a black sedan after being shot. West then approached the driver’s side door and fired again, shattering the window. The child was unharmed.
Hearing the commotion, Ehagaban reportedly stepped outside to intervene. When he asked West if he was alright, West allegedly turned and shot him in the head. Police said the motel owner died instantly.
After the shooting, West “walked away nonchalantly,” witnesses told police.
Officers later tracked him to Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, where he allegedly opened fire again, wounding a police officer before being taken into custody. Both the injured officer and West’s female companion were hospitalized at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. Their conditions have not been disclosed.
Police said West is associated with both the Robinson motel and a residence on Page Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
In a statement, acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Martin Devine said, “The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is grateful to the incredible care provided by the doctors and nurses at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and to all of our local law enforcement partners who work so hard to keep Allegheny County safe in the fight against violent crime.”
(With ToI inputs)
Police identified the victim as Rakesh Ehagaban, who owned the motel where the gunman, 37-year-old Stanley Eugene West, had been staying. Investigators said the confrontation began when West allegedly shot his female companion in the neck as she sat inside a car parked outside the motel on Friday afternoon.
According to the arrest affidavit, the woman, who had a child with her, tried to drive away in a black sedan after being shot. West then approached the driver’s side door and fired again, shattering the window. The child was unharmed.
Hearing the commotion, Ehagaban reportedly stepped outside to intervene. When he asked West if he was alright, West allegedly turned and shot him in the head. Police said the motel owner died instantly.
After the shooting, West “walked away nonchalantly,” witnesses told police.
Officers later tracked him to Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, where he allegedly opened fire again, wounding a police officer before being taken into custody. Both the injured officer and West’s female companion were hospitalized at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. Their conditions have not been disclosed.
Police said West is associated with both the Robinson motel and a residence on Page Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
In a statement, acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Martin Devine said, “The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is grateful to the incredible care provided by the doctors and nurses at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and to all of our local law enforcement partners who work so hard to keep Allegheny County safe in the fight against violent crime.”
(With ToI inputs)
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