Armed Robbery and Shooting in Summerville Store

While many locals from Hawkins Drive joined other Summerville citizens Friday night to pack the new gym at Chattooga High School and watch the basketball game, someone else had other plans at the popular convenient store, ‘The Cafe’ located just off of Highland Avenue.

At 9:20 pm a robbery turned violent when two suspects entered the store on Hawkins Drive and immediately fired on the clerk, Chirag Patel. The 47 year old Indian immigrant was working in his brother in law’s store and was rushed to Floyd Medical Center where, after surgery he was listed in critical condition. According to family members Patel is now stable and expected to recover. Patel is married and has two children and his family also owns George’s at the corner of Highland and 27.

Reportedly the suspects shot Patel, then failed to open the cash register so they stole Patel’s wallet and other personal items and allegedly began raiding the shelves of the store. The armed assailants ordered the other customer in the store to stay quiet and fled the scene.

Summerville Chief of Police Stan Mosley said that the investigation is under way and he is confident the criminals will be brought to justice.

This is the second robbery of a minority owned business within the past 4 month. After Suleman ‘Sam’ Pirani, owner of the Pure Stop, was robbed at gun point. Those Walker County perpetrators were later apprehended and convicted.