DETROIT, July 24, 2004
Shawn D. Lewis
The Detroit News

Kanu Patel left his wife and seven children in their village of Paliyad in western India about a year ago in search of the American dream and to provide a better life for his family.

So Patel, 40, settled in Metro Detroit, worked long hours at the Dawn Donuts shop on Moross and saved his money to bring them to America.

And just as his dream was about to become a reality, Patel's life was cut short early Wednesday morning when he and another employee, Brijesh Patel, 24, were shot execution style in the back of their heads during an apparent robbery inside the doughnut shop.

"I heard it on the radio this morning and I couldn't believe it," said Jayesh Patel, 36, owner of Patel Brothers grocery store in Garden City, which specializes in Indian food. He is not related to either victim. Patel is a common last name in India, similar to Smith or Jones, he said.

"Kanu was from Paliyad, which is close to my village, Balisana. He used to come in here to buy his groceries all the time, and was a very pleasant man. He was a good person and a hard worker."

Both Patels worshipped at the Hindu Temple in Canton. The priest, Shiva Kumar Bhat, did not know the men personally but said, "It is a terrible tragedy, and I am very shocked to hear about it. It is just shocking."

Kanu Patel and Brijesh Patel also were not related, but they came from the same village in India and lived together on Bournemouth Street in Harper Woods, near the shop. Neighbors said they did not know the pair, adding that they were quiet and kept to themselves.

Kanu Patel put in long hours as a baker, making the doughnuts at the Dawn Donuts shop while Brijesh Patel applied the icing and decorations.

Kenny Patel, owner of Dunkin Donuts on Cass and Grosbeck in Clinton Township, said Kanu Patel had been working at the doughnut shop for nine months, while Brijesh Patel, who was single, only began working there about two months ago. He said Brijesh Patel had only been in the United States about four months.

Kirit Patel, a family friend, not related to any of the Patels, said plans now were being made to set up a relief fund in their names.

The robbery and slayings of the two men were discovered about 5 a.m. Wednesday when Bhola Patel, 58, of Clinton Township, the owner of the Dawn Donuts on Moross near Interstate 94, found the victims on the floor in the back room. There was no sign of forced entry, police said, but the cash register was empty and the store had been ransacked.

The victims appear to have been shot while face-down on the floor, police said. The shop is not open overnight and the two men often came in late at night or early in the morning to make the pastries for the day.

Homicide detectives said it appears that one or both of the employees either let someone in, or the suspect somehow forced his way into the shop.

"There were no signs of forced entry," said Homicide Lt. Billy Jackson. "However the gunman got in, he left by the rear door, which was left standing open."

Detectives said the gunman escaped in a white 2001 GMC Savanna cutaway truck that belonged to the doughnut shop. Its license plate number is 981 9KA.

Bhola Patel told detectives only a small amount of money is kept inside the shop overnight, just enough to make change after they are open.

There were no signs of any struggle inside the shop and nothing but the small amount of money and the truck were stolen, investigators said.

Detectives were unsure what time the slayings occurred, saying it could have been late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. Up until last year, the doughnut shop was open 24 hours but because of incidents in and around the neighborhood the shop closed at 10 p.m