GLENWOOD, Illinois– A community is mourning the sudden death of a beloved liquor store owner, shot dead in his own shop.
Flowers, and candles now lay at the footsteps of the Emporium Liquors Store that 52-year-old Naveen Singh owned for over a decade.
“It almost doesn’t seem fathomable at this point by looking at this you can tell something is definitely wrong,” Camille Reynolds, a neighbor who has lived in the area for four decades said.
Her reaction was far from the only one at the scene Tuesday afternoon, nearly 24 hours after Singh’s life was taken.
“It didn’t quite set in until I got here today and saw the flowers and the candles,” Reynolds added.
Glenwood Police said a person of interest was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon.
Police reported the shooting took place at 6:45 p.m. Monday evening at the business at 339 E. Glenwood Lansing Rd. Police say the shooting stemmed from an argument Singh had with a customer, who fled the scene after the shooting.
Now neighboring businesses tell NBC Chicago they are considering taking measures to increase their security. One father and son duo, concerned a shooting like this took place three doors down from their restaurant.
“You try to make an honest living and people take your life for nothing, I just hate what happened to this man right here and his family. We have to do things differently, I pray for these children that’s what this is,” Willie Green the father of a business owner in the area said.
The Village of Glenwood also reacting to the senseless act of violence, reflecting on Singh’s life and the value he had within his community.
“Naveen Singh was a kind man who operated his Emporium Liquor Store responsibly and always with a smile,” Mayor Ronald J. Gardiner said.
A memorial vigil is now planned Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. outside the liquor store to pay tribute to a life that meant so much to so many.