A grandfather's dream of retiring to spend more time with his grandchildren was violently cut short when he was fatally shot outside the Quiznos shop he owned in San Dimas Tuesday afternoon.
Pravin Patel, 62, was remembered by family members Wednesday as a kindhearted man who knew his customers by name.
His brother Satish Patel was devastated not only by the loss of his brother but also by the promise he made his mother, he now feels he couldn't keep . Satish told their mother on her death bed he would take care of Pravin. On Wednesday he said he let both his brother and his mother down.
Pravin was working behind the counter of the sandwich shop in the 1000 block of West Arrow Highway when a man walked in and demanded money at about 2:30 p.m.
Pravin handed over cash but then decided to walk out after the robber and confront him outside the shop. During a brief struggle, the assailant opened fire and shot the shop owner once in the chest. He ran off and left Pravin bleeding on the pavement. Pravin was airlifted to a hospital where he later died.
Pravin was the proud father of two grown children who each have given him a grandchild.
"He wanted to retire and play with his grandkids," Satish said. "That was his dream."
He wanted his brother's attacker caught before he had the chance to hurt someone else.
On Wednesday, flowers and cards crowd the sidewalk outside the Quiznos. Containers of food could be seen on the tables inside. The shop's dark interior seemingly frozen at the moment when Patel’s life was taken.
The robber was described as a 25- to 30-year-old white or Hispanic man, about 6 feet tall, weighing 174 pounds. He was wearing a black baseball cap, black shirt and dark shorts with a plaid pattern.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the sheriff's San Dimas station at 909-450-2700.
NBC4's Gordon Tokumatsu contributed to this report.
