Seattle, June02, 2004
Nirmal Singh Thind, who was shot Monday during what police are calling
an attempted robbery at the Kent New Best Inn motel he co-owned with
his brother-in-law. Thind, 44, is being remembered as a helpful, honest
man who others often sought-out for advice or moral support.
Two young men confronted Thind in the office of the New Best Inn on
South Kent-Des Moines Road, a block west of Interstate 5. Thind co-owned
the motel with his brother-in-law. One of the men was wearing a bandanna
and at least one of them flashed a handgun, said Kent police spokesman
Paul Petersen. Thind pushed his 10-year-old son into a living unit behind
the small, cramped office and began grappling with one of the men, Petersen
said. The gun fired, and Thind was hit. Thind's friend, who had been
in the living unit, leaped to Thind's aid and joined the scuffle, Petersen
said.
The two robbers fled and as they ran, one fired through the office
window, hitting Thind again, Petersen said. Thind died Monday at Harborview
Medical Center in Seattle. He had been shot in the abdomen and the leg.
The men were still on the run last night. The two men wanted in the
shooting are described as black males in their late-teens to early-20s.
The first man is between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11, with a medium build,
wearing a gray hooded sweat shirt and gray sweat pants, according to
Seattle Times staff reporter
The second man is about 5-foot-6, 145 pounds, with a slight build.
Police said he was wearing a cherry-colored satin cloth over his hair
and a baggy, hooded gray sweat shirt.
Nirmal Singh Thind was making tea, said Thind's niece, Robby Marok,
a student at the University of Washington. His wife had just told him
that she was going to meet some friends, and he agreed to take over
the office duties for the afternoon, Marok said. Thind put a pot of
water on the stove and settled in with his son and a friend.
Thind was a calm, honest and wise man. Gurpreet Singh, a family friend,
said Thind gave invaluable tips and moral support to many other Indians
during their respective immigration processes. Although he was the youngest
sibling in his family, friends and relatives often sought him out for
advice. "He was the kind of person who took responsibility for
everything: family affairs, events," Singh said. "When he's
around, you don't have to worry about anything."
Nirmal Singh Thind emigrated from Amritsar, a city in the Indian state
of Punjab in1991. After a short stay in California, he moved to the
Seattle area, where he drove taxis. By 1997, he and his brother-in-law
had saved enough money to purchase the two-story, 29-unit motel in Kent.
He continued to work for Farwest, a taxi company. Just recently, he
had purchased a new green cab, number 108, said Connie Dawson, who described
herself as one of the few long-term tenants at the motel.
Family and friends said Thind was active at the Sikh temple on Talbot
Road in Renton. He was a strict vegetarian who didn't eat meat because
he didn't support hurting animals. On Sunday evenings, he played soccer
with family members and friends at a Renton park. Thind also has a 15-year-old
daughter.