CINCINNATI (AP) — Relatives of four people slain in suburban Cincinnati are speaking out following the arrest of a suspect.
Ajaib Singh identified himself as the brother of two victims in the April slaying and said the family was thankful for the efforts of West Chester police, other law enforcement agencies and the Sikh community of the Cincinnati region.
“We have full faith in Chief (Joel) Herzog’s team, and pray for murder convictions in the court,” the statement said.
The statement comes after Tuesday’s arrest in Connecticut of 37-year-old Gurpreet Singh. He was the husband of one of the victims, and son-in-law of her parents, who were also fatally shot with her aunt.
Gurpreet Singh was being held Wednesday as efforts continued to return him to Ohio. It’s not clear whether he has an attorney.
Police in Branford, Connecticut , said they arrested Singh without incident Tuesday afternoon in a Walmart store parking lot after acting on information from West Chester police that he was staying in a home there.
The four victims were fatally shot April 28 in an apartment home. Police say the suspect called 911 to say he had found them “on the ground and bleeding.”
Those killed were identified as Shalinderjit Kaur, 39; Amarjit Kaur, 58; Parmjit Kaur, 62; and Hakiakat Singh Pannag, 59. Each had at least two gunshot wounds to the head. The suspect lived in the apartment.
After the slayings, Gurpreet Singh said he and Shalinderjit had been married 17 years and had three children. Family members identified Parmjit and Hakitakat as his wife’s parents, and Amarjit as Parmjit’s sister.
Herzog, the Ohio police chief, called the slayings a “heinous crime” Tuesday, but said authorities haven’t discussed a possible motive or other details.
Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said the case will be presented to a grand jury, which could help determine whether the suspect would face the death penalty upon conviction.
Gurpreet Singh is a truck driver who told The Cincinnati Enquirer he was often away from home. Their three children were staying with other relatives at the time of the slayings and police said Tuesday they were safe.
Such violent crime is rare in the township of some 62,000 people, roughly 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of Cincinnati.
___
Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell
