Indian-origin motel manager shot dead in Pittsburgh while trying to intervene in dispute

A 51-year-old Indian-origin motel manager, Rakesh Ehagaban, was shot and killed at point-blank range on Friday in Robinson Township, Pittsburgh, after he attempted to intervene in a disturbance outside the Pittsburgh Motel.

Ehagaban, who managed the motel, stepped out after hearing a commotion in the parking lot, which police say was triggered by an alleged shooting involving a motel guest.

According to a criminal complaint published in local media, motel surveillance cameras captured the incident. The footage shows Ehagaban approaching a man holding a gun, identified by police as 37-year-old Stanley Eugene West, and asking, “Are you alright, bud?”

The complaint states that West then walked toward the manager, and “as he got within a few feet of Ehagaban, raised his firearm and shot him in the head.” Ehagaban died at the scene.

Police believe the fatal confrontation was preceded by West shooting a female companion in her black sedan as she tried to drive away from the motel. The woman, who had been a guest at the motel for two weeks with a child, was hit in the neck. The child, seated in the back, was unharmed. The shooting drew Ehagaban outside, leading to the fatal encounter.

Following Ehagaban’s death, West “nonchalantly” walked to a moving van and fled the scene.

The injured woman managed to drive to a nearby automobile service centre, where police found her and transported her to a hospital in critical condition.

A manhunt ensued as police tracked West’s van using licence plate readers, locating him in the East Hills of Pittsburgh. West allegedly got out of the van and started shooting, leading to an exchange of gunfire with police.

“The detectives returned fire,” said Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns. Both West and a Pittsburgh detective were shot in the exchange.

West was taken to a hospital in critical condition and has been charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and recklessly endangering another person. The injured police detective was also hospitalised.