Current Events
Tragedy in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
JEFF MARTIN, et al
Members of metro Atlanta’s Sikh community are turning to prayer -- and each other -- as they mourn the loss of four family members whose bodies were found in their suburban apartment.
Shivinder Singh Grover, 52; and his wife, Damanjit Kaur, 47, were found Monday (February 4, 2013) in Johns Creek (a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, USA), along with their sons, 5-year-old Gurtej Singh; and 12-year-old Sartaj Singh.
Word of their deaths began spreading by phone Monday afternoon, but there were more tears than answers.
“Everybody was crying on the phone, so we thought it would be best to meet together to pray,” said Parvinder Singh, a member of the gurdwara in nearby Roswell.
More than 50 people gathered at the congregation Monday night to pray and console each other.
“There’s a lot of anxiety going on, a lot of emotions flowing in,” Parvinder Singh said.
"It's still an active crime scene," said Johns Creek police Chief Ed Densmore during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. "It's still fluid. The officers are still at the crime scene right now. We haven't wrapped up that portion of it, so I'm not prepared to answer anything as far as motive or anything along those lines."
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office reported on Tuesday that the two children were stabbed, that Damanjit suffered blunt force trauma, and Shivinder hung himself. The medical examiner's report confirms it was a murder-suicide..
“It’s very hard to imagine anything like this with such a great, loving family,” Parvinder Singh said. “They were active members here. We used to see them practically every Friday and Sunday, except the last weekend we didn’t see them.”
The family had moved to the Atlanta area from Michigan, Parvinder Singh said.
Shivinder Singh, who had studied at the University of Michigan, was an executive at one of the many technology firms in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, Parvinder Singh added.
“He’s an extremely talented and high-intellect guy,” he said.
His wife had worked for Emory Healthcare in the past, he said.
A co-worker of the slain woman had called police and requested a welfare check when she didn’t show up for work, Johns Creek city spokeswoman Rosemary Taylor said. Police responded to the gated apartment community around 11:30 a.m. Monday and found the bodies.
Wilson Creek Elementary and River Trail Middle School, the schools the boys attended, both had grief counselors on hand.
"Please let them know it is okay to feel sad about a child's passing and if they want to talk to someone, we are here to help," wrote Wilson Creek Principal Andrea Cushing in a letter to parents.
This becomes Johns Creek's first murder case since it officially became a city in December 2006. The fact that the case involves children makes it particularly troublesome for investigators.
"We are all human," said Police Chief Densmore. "We're all parents. We have families. You deal with something like this, it will take a little bit out of you, of course."
Funeral arrangements had not been set Tuesday. A family member from India was planning to travel to Atlanta to help with those arrangements, Parvinder Singh said.
The deaths come six months after members of the tight-knit community met at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta to mourn after the August mass shooting at a Sikh congregation in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
February 6, 2013
Conversation about this article
1: Anita (England), February 06, 2013, 8:49 AM.
It's such a cruel world. Who and why would someone want to kill such a lovely family? Times like this everybody should come together and mourn for this wonderful family and hope the person that has done this gets what they deserve. R.I.P. At least they are all together. God bless you xxxx
2: Jeff Murdoch (Georgia, USA), February 06, 2013, 9:13 AM.
I've read all of the news reports so far. And I'm puzzled. Within a day of the tragedy, the police chief proclaims that a) the investigation is still in progress, and b) then declares the tragedy a "muder-suicide"! How can one arrive at the latter conclusion without completing the investigation? Have the DNA tests been done? Already? There's something mighty suspicious going on here ... or is it just incompetence?
3: Gagan Singh (New York, USA), February 06, 2013, 9:15 AM.
Is the FBI involved in the investigation yet? If not, why not? Georgia's authorities do not have a stellar history in dealing with minorities!
4: KJ Kaur (Florida, USA), February 06, 2013, 9:21 AM.
I trust somebody from The Sikh Coalition is already on the scene to monitor the situation. I can't think of anything more urgent and important they could possible have on their plate this week.
5: Brij Mohan Singh (Los Angeles, California, USA), February 06, 2013, 10:19 AM.
It would be most helpful if we in the community were given an updated and informed report, representing the best interests of the community, by one of our advocacy groups - The Sikh Coalition, Saldef, etc. Surely, it should be part of their routine to provide daily reports when such an incident occurs, starting from the day the news breaks.
6: Sahib (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), February 06, 2013, 10:33 AM.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones and friends of the deceased family, and with the Sikh community of Johns Creek and Atlanta which has been left to grapple with this tragedy.
7: Harpreet (Tucson, Arizona, USA), February 06, 2013, 11:13 AM.
Our thoughts and prayers for the victims of this tragedy. May God give strength to the extended family to bear the loss.
8: Daljit Singh (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada), February 06, 2013, 12:04 PM.
Something is amiss here. Police story doesn't fit the family profile.
9: Gurpreet Kaur Bhachu (Nairobi, Kenya), February 06, 2013, 1:36 PM.
Very sad to hear. May Waheguru help those family members left behind and all those who feel the pain after reading this article.
10: Ravinder Singh Khalsa (USA), February 06, 2013, 5:29 PM.
This is so extremely distressing. I don't know what conclusion the police will come to but just looking into the eyes of his elder son and seeing his younger son in the photo with this story is heartbreaking to me. How could the world be so cruel?
11: Santokh Singh Dhillon (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), February 06, 2013, 10:51 PM.
Very sad! I cannot imagine that he has killed his kids with his own hands, no matter what the circumstances. I fear there is much more to this tragedy than what the authorities want us to believe. They should investigate this matter further. The murders look very professionally done.
12: R Singh (Canada), February 07, 2013, 8:34 AM.
We as a community need to look out for each other. There is a dire need for our gurdwaras and attending individuals to have mechanisms in place to look out for, counsel and assist families in distress. I find we are too absorbed in the aftermath and not in the prevention.
13: Sarjit Kaur (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), February 07, 2013, 3:45 PM.
"Waheguru rakh ley rakh ley bithla jio parwasa nu" - I agree 100 percent with R Singh ji. Sikhs are not supposed to turn to murder or suicide although I can relate to it personally both with my child hurting herself and having no one to turn to with domestic woes as even Sikh organisations say they only handle discrimination cases and nothing else.
14: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), February 07, 2013, 8:10 PM.
What a waste of life! That is why this tragedy is so much more disturbing! May Waheguru take them to a better realm.
15: J.D. Mercy (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), February 08, 2013, 12:03 AM.
I am so disturbed by this tragedy. My heart-felt condolences to the bereaved family. We all pray for their departed souls. I cannot even imagine how his little, cute and innocent children were killed. I cannot stop crying for the children. May God forgive the person who killed them. I pray for them to be in heaven.
16: Mahanjot Sodhi (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), February 08, 2013, 12:35 AM.
Don't have any words how to even describe my grief over this one ... This, in my opinion, is far more horrific than any hate crime since it involved minor children who were apparently killed by the same person who they trusted the most - their own father!? Can't get any more perturbing than this. I have not heard of anything of this tragic magnitude. May Waheguru give rest to each and every member of the Grover family and peace, and bless each and everyone of us with sanity so that we can withstand the toughest of times to prevent anything like this happening again. Let's all pray for the departed souls, and also stand by and support the immediate family members left behind who have been absolutely devastated by this ultimate tragedy, and have to grapple with many questions for rest of their lives!
17: Sarjit Kaur (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.), February 08, 2013, 11:10 PM.
Groceries left in the car points to a robbery turned into murder, or even a mistaken identity scenario...?
18: Tejindar Singh (India), February 09, 2013, 8:58 AM.
I hope the police are investigating ALL angles, not just the obvious ones.
19: Ajay Gupta (Lexington, Kentucky, USA), February 11, 2013, 2:42 PM.
It is unbelievable what the press has reported. Shivinder was a highly educated, intellectual person. Studied in the best institutions. A very caring, family man. This is unthinkable. Police needs to investigate further. He was my high school buddy - I knew him well. This is very, very tragic.
20: John Singh (Charleston, South Carolina, USA), February 25, 2013, 3:40 PM.
It is believed the perpetartor had a history of mental illness. This crime does fit a schizophrenic profile. Need to have better support groups in our community.