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Family Of Shot Store Clerks Weighs Risks Of American Dream

News Channel 8 photo by ERIC HAUSMANN

Jay Patel and his wife, Vidhi, work behind the counter of Star Deli Food Store in St. Petersburg the morning after Narendra Patel was shot.

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON

spthompson@tampatrib.com

Published: December 4, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - They came to the United States from the city of Nadiad, in India's Gujurat state – first, Bhasker, the oldest of eight brothers, and then the Patel matriarch, accompanied by another son. The rest followed.

When asked why they left their homeland, one of the brothers, Kirit Patel, said in imperfect English: "Better opportunity and life."

Four of the brothers ended up owning convenience stores in the Tampa Bay area. One died in an accident unrelated to the risks associated with such an enterprise, and now his 27-year-old son, Saurabh, runs his St. Petersburg store. Kirit Patel, 47, has a store in Tampa.

After what happened this week to the two other brothers – Narendra, 53, and Indravadan, 46 – the Patel clan is beginning to feel trapped by their version of the American dream, however.

In the span of three days, while each was working alone at night in their respective St. Petersburg store, two suspects armed with handguns and with their faces concealed shot them during robberies, St. Petersburg police say.

Narendra, who had been shot in the lung in a robbery a half dozen years ago, was shot three times Monday night, after emptying the cash register of the $40 it contained for one of the gunmen, detectives say. The thief was apparently unsatisfied with the amount.

Narendra was lucky. Though shot in the chest, hand and foot, he was treated at Bayfront Medical Center and released after couple of days, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Indravadan was less fortunate, and he didn't get a chance to cooperate, either. He was shot in the abdomen as the gunman climbed over the counter. He is in critical condition at Bayfront, as family members wait to see whether doctors are able to deal with an infection so they can operate, Kirit Patel said.

The take was roughly $250, police said.

Family Doesn't Understand Why

The Patels understand there's a chance their stores can be robbed. What they are having a hard time grasping is why the thieves are shooting them.

"Anywhere you go – could be CVS, could be a 7-Eleven, could be a little pop store like this – you go show the gun, they'll give you the money," Saurabh said as he stood outside his uncle Indravadan's store today. "They're not going to fight you back, so don't shoot them.

"Why come and shoot us?" he asked.

The first occurred Monday at the Star Deli Food Store, 2451 Fifth Ave. N., which Narendra owns; the second Wednesday at the Suhani Food Store, 2539 Dr. Martin Luther King St. N., which Indravadan owns.

The two robberies were so alike, investigators think the same two suspects are responsible, Maj. Mike Puetz said.

"That's based on a number of similarities," he said. In both holdups, the culprits were "masked up," and one watched the door while the other approached the clerk.

Ten detectives have hit the streets in an attempt to identify the suspects.

Puetz does not think convenience store owners who are of Indian descent are being targeted. Rather, he said, the robbers may be choosing stores owned by families like the Patels because there is sometimes only one person working in them. That's not true of a CVS or a 7-Eleven.

At the same time, chain stores are known for their elaborate surveillance video systems, while mom and pop stores don't always have them, Puetz said. That's changing, he said, indicating that both Patel brothers had installed surveillance video which police are reviewing.

The suspects may think, however, that by wearing masks they are "impervious" to the surveillance systems, Puetz said.

Few Options For Change

The shootings this week have left the Patel clan wondering whether they can continue risking their lives running convenience stores. The wives and daughters of Narendra and Indravadan, in particular, have been suggesting the pair might consider another line of work, Saurabh said.

The trouble is, they don't have much in the way of options, he said.

Kirit Patel echoed the sentiment: "That's all we can do," he said.

Not everybody can be as lucky as Bhasker Patel, the first brother who arrived in this country. He once owned a convenience store in Tampa, but now owns a Holiday Inn in Pasco County, Kirit said. Two other Patel brothers have also made the jump to the hotel business, which is considered safer than convenience stores.

For now, however, the Patel brothers who own convenience stores are expected to keep working them, Kirit said. In the meantime, they want the culprits caught.

"Make sure the police department gets these people," Kirit said. "Otherwise we're disappointed."

News Channel 8 reporter Rod Challenger contributed to this report. Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at 727-451-2336.

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