New York: An Indian American small businessman in Schodack, New York, is believed to have fatally shot his 14-year-old daughter and his mother-in-law recently before killing himself. According to a New York State Police report, Bhupinder Singh, owner of the Pit Stop 66, a liquor store in Hudson, killed 14-year-old Jasleen Kaur and 55-year-old Manjeet Kaur during a domestic dispute with his wife Rashpal Kaur. Rashpal Kaur, who was also shot in the arm but managed to flee the scene.
Schodack police arrived at the scene after they received a call from the neighbour and found Kaur via her trail of blood. They then went to her home where they found all three family members, who were pronounced dead at the scene. Singh died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. Rashpal Kaur was taken to the Albany Medical Center for treatment of her wounds, which is non-life threatening.
Schodack police chief John Hourigan said that they had been to Singh’s home earlier too to handle domestic disputes, but had not been there recently. Hourigan said that Rashpal Kaur was found away from her residence. Hourigan described Singh as someone who did not engage with neighbours, although he had lived in the small town for more than a decade. Rashpal had visited her neighbour and his wife on previous occasions and reportedly told them about her bad marriage. She complained of having no food and being confined to the neighbourhood since she could not drive and had no car. Store clerks and owners of nearby shops characterized Singh as a friendly man who was liked by his customers.
In the US three women are murdered each day in domestic violence-related incidents, according to data from the National Organization for Women, and one out of four women face regular abuse from their spouses. Rates of domestic violence have risen dramatically during the pandemic, with shelter-in-place orders forcing victims to be in close proximity to their spouses at all times. The gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety reports that 80 per cent of children killed in mass shootings were shot in incidents related to family or intimate partner violence.
