Clerk who died after robbery in downtown Sacramento is identified; suspect ‘contacted’
The store clerk who suffered critical injuries while confronting an alleged robber in downtown Sacramento died Thursday night, police said.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the robbery and death but made contact with the robbery suspect on Thursday, the Sacramento Police Department said Friday in a news release.
Officers had been called to the 900 block of S Street around 1:45 p.m. Thursday. Department spokesman Officer Karl Chan said Thursday that it was initially reported that the clerk, an adult male, was confronting the suspect when the suspect pushed the clerk. The clerk fell to the ground and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital in critical condition.
According to Friday’s news release, the victim succumbed to his injuries at the hospital late Thursday night. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office later identified him as Kulvinder Singh, 50.
Images on the photo-sharing site Imgur showed a makeshift memorial outside Singh’s store, with flowers, candle and notes dedicated to the man nicknamed “Indi.”
The Police Department news release did not say whether the clerk was pushed, saying he “fell to the ground” during the physical altercation: “The preliminary investigation into the incident reveals that the suspect entered the business and attempted to steal merchandise from the store,” the statement said. “The victim confronted the suspect over the theft, and a physical altercation ensued. During the incident the victim fell to the ground and was unresponsive. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle.”
Investigators identified and contacted the robbery suspect Thursday evening, the Police Department said.
According to Chan, the suspect was detained but then released. Chan said Friday there is still evidence to be processed and that authorities are also awaiting the autopsy report.
“We got his side of the statement and at this point, he has been released,” Chan said.
The suspect was identified only as a male.
The case will be reviewed by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution once detectives finish the investigation, Chan said.
The police news release referred to the incident as a “robbery/death” investigation and did not indicate whether the incident was being investigated as a possible homicide.
Chan said that after the suspect fled Thursday afternoon, detectives remained at the scene for several hours, temporarily closing S Street between 9th and 10th streets.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
