In another possible hate crime, a 26-year-old Indian man was allegedly shot down by two masked armed robbers on United States’ Washington state. The news was confirmed by his family on Friday that he was shot at a convenience store at a gas station. The man has been identified as Vikram Jaryal who was working as a clerk in a store at the AM-PM Gas Station in Yakima city. According to the reports, Vikram was standing behind the counter when he was shot by two unidentified masked men.

Police said the clerk handed the suspects money, but one of the suspects fired at him. Jaryal was taken to the hospital where he later died. “The victim was able to tell officers what happened when they arrived a few minutes later; but tragically, he died a short time later at the hospital,” police was quoted as saying by the NBC Right Now channel. Jaryal hailed from Hoshiarpur district in Punjab and had shifted to the US about a month ago, his elder brother told PTI.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj condoled the “tragic death” after she was informed about the incident by the victim’s brother through twitter seeking her help to bring back the body. “My heartfelt condolences on your brother’s tragic death. I am asking @IndianEmbassyUS to provide all help and assistance,” Swaraj said. Police are investigating the case and are now looking for two men caught on surveillance camera leaving the store.

“Somebody knows something. Somebody knows these people. The still photos show a very recognisable top that one of the suspects is wearing,” Mike Bastinelli, Yakima Police Department said. “The shooter wore a black hoodie with patches of white on the back,” Mike said.

(with input from agency)