Indian-origin man accused of murdering two men in US parking lot

New York, May 5

A 21-year-old Indian-origin man has been booked for fatally shooting two men at a parking lot of a mall in the US state of Oregon in a possible case of a double homicide, police said.

Jobanpreet Singh, 21, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on two counts of murder in the first degree on Thursday, the Portland Police Bureau said.

Central Precinct officers responded to a report of a shooting on Wednesday at 2.45 p.m. (local time) in the 9100 block of Southeast Barbur Boulevard, and found two men dead in a parking lot after arriving.

Portland police are yet to publicly identify the two men who died, media reports said.

According to OregonLive, Singh pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and four counts of unlawful use of a weapon when he made a brief appearance in court on Thursday for an arraignment.

According to video surveillance footage reviewed by police, Singh and two friends were seated at a table outside Bentoz Teriyaki restaurant before he got up and walked toward a man who had just parked his car, the website reported.

Another man approached that car and then walked quickly toward Singh with a phone in his hand, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Margaret Burgess wrote in the affidavit.

Singh then drew out a pistol from his pocket, raised it towards the two men in front of him, and "shot multiple rounds", Burgess wrote.

The report said that Singh continued to shoot even after the two men had collapsed to the pavement in the parking lot, the affidavit said.

While the two men died on the spot, Singh called 911 to report the shooting, remained at the scene and was arrested, the OregonLive reported.

The affidavit did not mention what led to the shooting, but according to witnesses, they heard some type of yelling or argument before hearing between six and 10 gunshots.

"One man got into another person's face. The shooter pulled out his gun, and the two young men ran," Kayia Murrell, a witness, told OregonLive.

The two men who were shot did not appear to be armed, she said, adding that she didn't know what the men were arguing about.

Singh, who is being held without bail in the detention centre, is scheduled to return to court on May 12. The Portland Police Bureau Homicide Unit is investigating the incident, and has asked witnesses to come forward.

--IANS