Gujaratis at the receiving end of gun violence in US, at least one falls victim to gun every year
Updated: Mar 24th, 2025
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The Gujarati community in the US mourns the loss of yet another community members — Mehsana-native Pradip Patel (56) and his daughter Urvi Patel (24) — who were shot at their convenience store in Virginia on March 3.
The accused, George Wharton, who had come to buy alcohol, asked them why they had not kept the store open at night and fatally shot both of them.
The Gujarati community in the US becoming victims of a series of violent incidents, once again highlights the rampant gun culture in the country.
In 2023, Vadodara’s Ujas Mengar, a senior product manager at Volvo trucks in Greensboro, North Carolina, was shot to death by miscreants near his house
In 2019, Nadiad resident Hasmukh Patel was murdered in the US, while in 2021, five Gujaratis were gunned down in a single year. Mitesh Patel from Umreth Taluka in Kheda District was another victim of gun violence in 2016. Patel and his daughter Urvi became the latest victims of gun-related deaths.
This marks the tenth violent shooting incident in recent times where a Gujarati in the US has been gunned to death. In 2023, gun violence claimed the lives of 43,000 innocent people in the US, with most victims being local US citizens. On an average, at least one Gujarati falls victim to such violence every year.
Since 2016, there have been over a dozen attacks targeting Gujaratis in the US. In the past eight years, this is the tenth instance where Gujaratis have been shot at a place of work.
About 40% of the motel businesses in the US are owned by Gujaratis, with large number of them hailing from Anand and Kheda districts.
Gujaratis living in the US are well aware of how dangerous the evenings can be at motels, bars, or gas stations. Drug addicts or criminals often show up, point a gun, and either rob cash from the counter or take food or fuel without paying.
However, shooting incidents are considered common in the US, with approximately 11 lakh gun-related crimes with significant increase in fatalities. In 2016, there were 20 major incidents of this kind, whereas in 2023, this number rose to 48.
Since 2016, this statistic has doubled. In 2019, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, over 12 lakh armed robberies were reported in the US. Whenever such tragedies strike Gujaratis, it not only devastates families living in the US, but also sends shockwaves back home in India.
The Gujarati community in the US actively spreads awareness through social media and other platforms, warning about high-risk locations such as motels, gas stations, and cash-counter businesses.
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