The Danville Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred on Thursday at 1385 South Boston Rd. At 12:41 pm, officers responded to a reported shooting outside of the Airport Mart Exxon.
47-year-old Pinkin Patel, who is associated with the store, was found in the parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers and EMS personnel provided first aid, and the victim was transported to SOVAH Danville where he was later pronounced dead.
The victim and the male suspect interacted in the parking lot over an alleged theft, resulting in the suspect shooting the victim. Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene in a dark colored Honda Odyssey van, Virginia license plate TDM-5557, headed west on South Boston Rd.
An image of the suspect vehicle was captured by Danville PD’s new license plate reader system. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Danville Police Department by calling 911 or patrol at 434-799-6510 option 4.