GLENWOOD, Ill.– A community is mourning the sudden death of a beloved liquor store owner who was shot to death in his own store.
Flowers and candles now lined the footprints of the Emporium Liquors Store that 52-year-old Naveen Singh owned for over a decade.
“It seems almost beyond comprehension at this point by looking at this, you can tell that something is definitely wrong,” said Camille Reynolds, a neighbor who has lived in the area for four decades.
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 really sink in until I got here today and saw the flowers and the lights,” Reynolds added.
Glenwood police said a person of interest was in custody Tuesday afternoon.
Police reported the shooting happened at 6:45 p.m. Monday night 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, nearby businesses tell NBC Chicago they are considering taking steps to increase their security. A father and son duo, worried that a shooting like this was taking 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 here and his family. We have to do things differently, I pray for these kids, that’s what this is,” Willie Green said the father of an area business owner.
The Village of Glenwood also reacts to the senseless act of violence and reflects on Singh’s life and the value he had within his community.
“Naveen Singh was a kind man who ran his Emporium Liquor Store responsibly and always with a smile,” said Mayor Ronald J. Gardiner.
A memorial vigil is now planned for Tuesday evening at 8pm outside the liquor store to pay tribute to a life that meant so much to so many.