Police Hunt Killer Of Sikh Man, $20,000 Reward Offered: Tracy

TRACY, CA — Hundreds attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday night in Tracy for a 64-year-old man who was out for a walk in his neighborhood when he was brutally attacked. The vigil was held to "demand justice" and mourn the Sikh man's death.

The Tracy Police Department is requesting the public’s help to identify a potential witness to the Aug. 25 attack on Parmjit Singh that occurred around 9:05 p.m. in front of Gretchen Talley Park on Dove Drive, near Egret Drive. Singh passed away at the scene and Tracy police are investigating the death as a homicide.

Video of a person seen in the area around the time of the attack has been released (see below), and police are hoping someone can come forward with information.

A motive for the crime is still being investigated.

"In spite of unsubstantiated discussions about this being a hate crime, there is no information that Tracy Police Department has that would support that motive at this time," the department said on social media Thursday afternoon. "We have and will continue to investigate all evidence in this case in the pursuit of the suspect, wherever that evidence leads."

The Tracy Police Department is consulting with other law enforcement agencies in the region, and the FBI is providing the department with technical assistance.

Thursday afternoon, Singh's family announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect responsible for his killing. The funding has come through donations from community members, according to the Tracy Police Department.

“We take pride in our safe, close-knit community,” said Tracy Mayor Robert Rickman. “The loss of one of our own to violence has shaken us to our core and is felt by the entire community. On behalf of the Tracy City Council, we offer our sincerest condolences to Mr. Singh’s family, friends and to the members of our Sikh community. This violence will not be tolerated and we are dedicating every available resource to ensuring that the person(s) responsible for the death of Mr. Singh is brought to justice.”

United Sikhs — a U.N. affiliated, international nonprofit, nongovernmental organization — reached out to the FBI immediately following news of the attack, and federal agents have interviewed family members, according to Megan Daly, spokesperson for United Sikhs, which is representing Singh's family. In addition to a charge murder, United Sikhs wants to see federal hate crime charges brought against the suspect(s) responsible for the attack.

"The United Sikhs legal team has contacted the Department of Justice and FBI to demand federal intervention of the local investigation and hate crime charges pending the capture of the suspect(s)," United Sikhs said in a statement.

"We are devastated to lose a beloved member of the Sikh community. Parmjit Singh was a humanitarian and constantly sought ways to give back to the Tracy community, which embraced him as their own. On behalf of his family, we filed a report with the FBI immediately following the incident to ensure the suspect is apprehended swiftly and hate crime charges are pursued," United Sikhs said in a statement released by Daly.

Approximately 500 members of the Tracy community, including multiple local faith groups and Tracy police, attended Wednesday's candlelight vigil for Singh, according to Daly.

A GoFundMe page has been established by United Sikhs to help the family.

Anyone with information about the case or who can help identify the person in the video is encouraged to contact Tracy Police Department at (209) 831-6550 or Tracy Crime Stoppers, where tips are accepted 24/7 by calling (209) 831-4847 or texting "TIPTPD + [your message/tip]” to 274637 (CRIMES).

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