Atlanta

Store owner dies days after robber shoots him; police search for suspect

By Carl Willis
By Carl Willis

ATLANTA — Police say a senseless aggravated assault turned into a murder case.

Diponker Das, 57, the owner of G. Corner Food Mart on Cascade Avenue, was shot by a robber on Oct. 14.

Atlanta police believe a man walked in and fired the deadly shot.

Das, a husband and father of two teens, died Friday when his family chose to take him off life support.

"Doctors said that as long as he would be alive, he'd be suffering, so we decided to let him go with dignity and love," said Avik Das, the victim's nephew.

Avik Das said his uncle had expressed concern for his safety well before the day he was shot.

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"We told him to carry guns for his personal safety, but he never did," he said.

Police released video from another store that shows the suspect. They said just five minutes after the video was taken, the suspect walked across the street to Diponker Das' store and confronted him with a gun.

"Mr. Das came from behind his shielded area and, at some point, the young man walked up to him and shot him in the head," said Atlanta police Maj. Adam Lee.

Police, as well as Das' family, want the killer behind bars.

"Based on the heinousness of this crime, and the way this young man did this, we certainly want to get him off the street as soon as possible," Lee said.

"We really want that because today it happened to my uncle. Tomorrow, it could happen to somebody else," Avik Das said.

Police said the suspect got away with a little cash and some lottery tickets.

Anyone with information on the case should call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.

Cox Media Group

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