Police identify man who shot Indian American officer in California

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Police have identified a suspect who is known to have shot Indian American police officer Ronil Singh in Newman, California on Wednesday, Dec. 26 morning, and they claim that he is an undocumented immigrant.

According to a Chicago Sun Times report, surveillance photos from a nearby convenience store show a heavyset man with short, dark hair and wearing a silver chain, jeans, dark T-shirt and a dark jacket with white Ecko brand patches on the shoulders, purchasing a 12-pack of beer, just minutes before Singh was shot.

Authorities say that Singh had pulled over a gray pickup truck that had no license plate, as part of a drunken driving investigation and he tried to defend himself before he was shot and killed.

The same truck was then found in a garage in a mobile home park about 4 miles from the scene of the shooting, in a place where law enforcement officers were serving a search warrant, the Modesto Bee reported.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson did not release the name of the suspect at a press conference held Dec. 27, but was certain that he is an illegal immigrant, Time magazine reported.

Singh was a native of Fiji, who had come to the United States to become a police officer, Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson said during the press conference.

He joined the Newman Police Department in 2011 and was one of 12 members.

Singh is survived by his wife and 5-month-old son.