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Collateral Damage in War on Terrorism
Date
By Mike Anton / Times Staff Writer

A Sikh immigrant, Balbir Singh Sodhi, is killed at his gas station. Suspect shouted: 'I stand for America all the way!'

MESA, Ariz.
"He was killed because of his turban," Sodhi's brother, Harjit, said. "It is what people see on TV. They are confused."

Sodhi was checking on the new landscaping in front his business when he was killed. Police said Frank Roque, a 42-year-old Mesa machinist, opened fire with a .38-caliber handgun as he drove past in his pickup truck.

Roque drove to a Mobil station a few miles away and allegedly fired at a Lebanese American clerk. He missed. Then it was on to a home Roque once owned, where he blazed away again, this time barely missing an Afghan man who was coming out the front door, according to authorities.

Two hours later, Roque was arrested at his home. As he was led away, he shouted: "I stand for America all the way!"

The killing of Sodhi--a gentle and generous man who lived for his faith, family and 12-hour workdays--has roiled the Sikh community.
(More: L.A. Times.com News Source)

Dan