On 3rd October (local time), a 50-year-old Indian-origin motel manager, Rakesh Ehagaban, was shot dead in Pittsburgh’s Robinson Township. The incident took place when Rakesh stepped outside to check on an ongoing argument in the parking lot. His attempt to help ended tragically when the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Stanley Eugene West, shot him in the head at point-blank range.
Confrontation turns deadly
According to police, Rakesh approached West and asked, “Are you alright, bud?” before being fatally shot. Surveillance footage reportedly captured West walking towards him, raising his gun within a foot’s distance, and firing a single shot to the head. Ehagaban died on the spot.
Police said in a statement that West had earlier shot a woman during an argument outside the motel. Rakesh had stepped out to intervene after hearing the commotion. The woman, who was staying with West and a child at the motel, was rushed to hospital in critical condition. At the time of the incident, the child was seated in the back of a black sedan and was unharmed.
Police chase and gunfight
Following the murder, West fled the scene in a U-Haul truck. Police later tracked him down. Instead of surrendering, West opened fire at the police and shot a Pittsburgh detective in the leg. Officers returned fire, injuring West several times before apprehending him.
West has been charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and recklessly endangering another person.
#Update: County Police have charged 38-year-old Stanley West in connection with the homicide investigation in Robinson Township. West is charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and recklessly endangering another person. West remains hospitalized. https://t.co/BZhPkR138b
— Allegheny County PD (@AlleghenyCoPD) October 4, 2025
Police statement
In a statement, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Acting Chief Martin Devine confirmed that the injured detective was recovering at home and thanked medical staff at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners who continue to keep Allegheny County safe in the fight against violent crime,” he said.
“The PBP detective injured by gunfire during the critical incident in East Hills on Friday is resting comfortably at home with his family and with the full support of his fellow officers and the Bureau. The family asks for privacy at this time.” – Martin Devine, Acting Chief pic.twitter.com/0YuhkDPq6Y
— Pittsburgh Police (@PghPolice) October 4, 2025
Ehagaban’s death has left the local community shaken, with many mourning the loss of a man who was simply trying to help.
Earlier, a similar incident occurred where an Indian-origin motel manager was beheaded in Dallas, USA. Fifty-year-old Chandramouli Nagamallaiah was brutally killed by 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez. The accused attacked Chandramouli with a machete and severed his head from his body after the victim asked him not to use the washing machine as it was broken. The incident took place in front of the victim’s family.
