The reason why....

Wednesday's robbery at 7-Eleven, 8501 E. Bannister Road.


Gurpreet Singh knew what to do when a gunman approached the counter at the 7-Eleven in Kansas City where Singh was working early Wednesday: cooperate.

It was Singh's final shift as a night clerk at the store at 8501 E. Bannister Road. He was looking forward to starting a new full-time job next week at a hospital. All he had to do was make it a few more hours.

So Singh, 35, handed over the cash in a bag exactly as instructed.

The gunman took the bag and inexplicably fired a single shot into Singh's abdomen before walking out the door. The store's surveillance camera recorded the violence.

Singh dialed 911 about 1:10 a.m. and told police what happened. He collapsed on the floor and later died in surgery, leaving behind two children, ages 7 and 9.

Police can't explain why the gunman shot Singh.

"He didn't put up a struggle at all," said homicide Detective Jeff Cowdrey. "He did what he was supposed to do and got shot for it."

Singh, who went by the first name Tony, had only worked at the store for about a month, but Wednesday was the second time he had been robbed there and the seventh time the store had been robbed in 12 months.

On Feb. 22, shortly after 12:30 a.m., he and another clerk, who was in training, were stocking items in the back of the store.

The gunman grabbed the back of Singh's shirt, pointed a handgun at them and forced them to empty their cash registers into a plastic bag. The gunman then asked for three packs of Newport cigarettes and fled. No one was injured.

The robbery in February rattled Singh, but he continued his employment to support his children, friends said. He wanted to provide the best for them.

His family immigrated to the United States from India while he was in middle school. Since graduating from high school, he had worked in a variety of positions at St. Joseph Health Center, including the laundry room and radiology.

His current job there was part time, but he recently had been offered a promotion to kitchen supervisor, a full-time position.

Singh's brother said Singh had a strong work ethic. He could have failed to show up for his final shifts at the convenience store. But he had given his word that he would be there, Gurbhushan Singh said.

Tony Singh told his brother last week how happy he was about his promotion.

His kids proudly announced that he was going to be "the boss."

The divorced father had promised his children he was going to take them on a trip this summer.

Instead, Gurbhushan Singh had to wake them Wednesday and tell them their father had died.

"They know they're never going to see him again," Gurbhushan Singh said. "That was really hard."

Gurbhushan Singh said his brother spent nearly all of his free time with his children, taking them to swim lessons or Build-A-Bear. His brother liked everybody and never had a rude word to say about other people.

"That's why everybody liked him," Gurbhushan Singh said.