Jermaine Canada was only in the store for a couple minutes and there was no apparent motive for the shooting. From what the reports say, robbery did not seem to be a motive and nothing was taken from the store. Nothing, that is, except for the life of a man who did absolutely nothing wrong and the innocence of two young children. But I have a feeling Jermaine Canada has been subjecting his children to his criminal lifestyle for quite some time.

According to Maricopa County Superior Court online records, Canada was convicted of possession of marijuana in March 2004. He also plead guilty to misconduct involving weapons in November 2005. Another case history on the site shows charges for aggravated assault and one of the notes mention "felony to promote further or assist crim conduct by street gang" . Canada was sentenced to 3 years for the misconduct involving weapons conviction with 134 days knocked off for time served. Canada's criminal record appears to date back to 1997, which would make him 16 years old.

Luckily an alert citizen recognized Canada from the surveillance video and called 9-1-1. Canada was arrested shortly after and is charged with first-degree murder.

The Phoenix Sikh American community is in a state of shock this week as a motive has not been found. Nothing was stolen and there is no confirmation that this killing was something other than a heinous crime motivated by hate.

"The Phoenix community has experienced a tremendous amount of hardship over the past seven years, since the attacks of 9/11" said SALDEF Western Regional Director Kavneet Singh. "This shooting is an utter tragedy and we hope that this case is prosecuted in a swift and appropriate manner."

SALDEF has contacted the Phoenix Police Department about the incident as well as expressed concerns with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice to ensure the thorough investigation of this case. SALDEF will continue to work with leaders in the Phoenix community to ensure aggressive action in this matter. 

We also urge all Sikh Americans to immediately report any incidents of harassment, bullying or assault to SALDEF and your local authorities.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of any racially motivated crime, please contact SALDEF 877-917-4547 or via email at info@saldef.org directly toll free at