A Thai restaurant owner in the U.S. was shot dead in an armed robbery outside of his restaurant in Tucker, Georgia, on Saturday night.
Somphot Aromsuk, 34, from Bangkok, tragically died in front of his Mai Thai restaurant. The CCTV footage shows that the robber had been lying in wait for Somphot to close up before he pointed a gun at him at 9pm. The gunman’s identity still remains unknown after he escaped with Somphot’s black Honda Civic.
Somphot’s body was found in the parking lot, along with a tray full of food. Somphot’s friend said that he always brought home leftovers for friends after work. His friends prayed at the spot where Somphot fell to the ground, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
“It’s so sad for someone to come to this country to make a better life, only to get killed like this. It’s sad,” said customer Ruby Brewer.
Somphot’s mother said that he had moved to Georgia about five years ago before purchasing Mai Thai Restaurant two years ago in order to save enough money to help his family back in Thailand.
“I’m scared I won’t be able to get his body back home with us. Who did this to him?” Somphot’s mother asked as she wept on the phone.
According to Thairath, the Thai community in the U.S. is planning on holding funeral rites for Somphot on Sept. 14 at the Wat Buddha Bucha Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia.
For now, Mai Thai must close its doors, but the search for the gunman continues.
