Pennsylvania, Oct 6: A man has been charged with homicide and other crimes after a fatal shooting at a Pennsylvania motel that left the owner dead. Stanley Eugene West, 37, was taken into custody after a shootout with police following the incident. West had been a guest at the motel for approximately two weeks.
The victim, Rakesh Ehagaban, 51, was a motel owner of Indian origin. He was shot and killed on Friday after stepping outside to investigate a disturbance. According to reports, Ehagaban approached West and asked, “Are you alright, bud?” The man then fatally shot him in the head.
The deadly encounter followed an earlier shooting. Prior to Ehagaban’s death, West is said to have shot a woman in the neck while she was in a car in the parking lot with a child. The woman, believed to be West’s partner, was able to drive to a nearby auto repair shop, where she was discovered by first responders and taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Following the shooting of Ehagaban, West reportedly fled the scene in a U-Haul van. Authorities located him in the East Hills neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where a shootout ensued. A Pittsburgh detective was wounded in the exchange of gunfire. West was also injured and was taken into custody by police.
West faces several charges, including criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangerment. The investigation is ongoing, and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the motel. The event comes less than a month after another Indian-origin motel manager was killed in Texas. In that incident, the victim was said to have been beheaded during a dispute with a co-worker, who has since been arrested and charged with capital murder.
