NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – Almost a week after two employees at a Newport News 7-Eleven were shot and killed inside the business, police released surveillance images and video to the public of the suspect in this homicide case.
Officers responded to the business in the 1400 block of Kiln Creek Parkway shortly before midnight on Wednesday, June 15 and found two men who had been shot. They were pronounced dead at the scene and later identified as 52-year-old Preyas Patel and 35-year-old Logan Edward Thomas. An employee told WAVY News 10 Patel owned the store and Logan Thomas worked there.
The following Tuesday, Newport News Police released surveillance video of a suspect in this robbery and homicide investigation. The video shows a person walk into the 7-Eleven carrying a bag in his left hand and a weapon in his right. The time stamp on the video is 11:36 p.m.
Below are screenshots from store surveillance video, focused on the suspect. Although the person was wearing a mask, if you recognize anything about their shoes or the way the person walks, etc. please don’t hesitate to reach out to Newport News Police with any information.
WAVY spoke with a close family friend of Patel who said the family is distraught. Patel and his wife have two college-aged children. He said the Patel family moved to the United States more than 20 years ago from India seeking new opportunities.
Logan Thomas’ mother said he was a third generation 7-Eleven employee and the father of a 5-year-old son, “Logan had a shining star in him. He had a good heart, wanting to help people,” she said. “He was a hard worker. He had to make his mom and grand mom proud too.”
Police are asking for anyone who can identify the person in this video or who knows anything about the incident to please call Det. Rogers at 757–928–4219. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to the Crime Line at 1–888-LOCK-U-UP or online at P3Tips.com.