TOOELE, Utah — After a hateful comment and the shooting a man with a pellet gun, Tooele police are searching for the suspect in what they are investigating as a hate crime.
Just before midnight Thursday, officers responded the scene where they found an Indian-American man, Gurvinder Singh, shot in the leg near the intersection of 100 East and Utah Avenue.
“One of the individuals said as the truck was driving by, somebody who shot out the window said ‘Get back to your own country' to the male who was shot,” explained Colbey Bentley with the Tooele City Police Department.
Singh is doing fine and recovering, but police are still looking for the suspect who they believe was driving a silver or grey Toyota Tacoma.
"The rising racism and xenophobia we are witnessing nationwide should be a cause of great concern to every American, regardless of their faith or background. We hope law enforcement authorities conduct a swift and thorough investigation of this troubling incident and bring the alleged perpetrator to justice," the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement.
Because of the circumstances, police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
“The victim who was shot was of South Asian descent, so anytime we have something where someone who wasn’t born in the United States, or something like that, we have somebody yelling at them, 'Get back to your own country,' we take very seriously,” said Bentley. “We don’t have any room for that here in Tooele City.”
Pritpal Singh with the Sikh Temple of Utah, who is also from India, said as unfortunate as incidents like these are, people of color might not be strangers to these comments.
He hopes people can learn from situations like the shooting to be more accepting of each other.
“When we all live together, we eat together, we talk, we get to know each other. Then, curiosity replaces the ignorance, and then we can make it better for everyone,” said Singh. “I hope that any of these incidents don't happen anymore, and we can all live together and stay happy as the happy Americans.”
Anyone with any information about the suspect or whereabouts of the vehicle is asked to contact the Tooele City Police Department at 435-882-5600.
