PHOENIX - As loved ones gathered Saturday for the funeral of 36-year-old Amanjeet Singh Toor, Phoenix police announced the arrest of the man suspected of killing the convenience store clerk.
Saturday afternoon, 23-year-old Joseph Eric Fatigoni appeared in front of a Phoenix judge charged with robbery, two counts of kidnapping and murder.
According to police, Fatigoni confessed to shooting Toor, a Sikh immigrant from India, during a robbery at a south Phoenix 7-Eleven on Aug. 8.
News of his arrest is said to have given the family some sense of peace during an extremely difficult time.
“We really have a lot relief today,” said Rana Singh Sohdi, a businessman and activist for the local Sikh community.
“Everybody had a concern because this murderer was still loose, still out there, and it's not safe for the community,” Sohdi said.
Sohdi was one of more than 300 community members who attended Toor’s funeral services and memorial on Saturday morning.
“It was a painful moment and a very, very, sad day,” he said.
Investigators believe an armed and masked Fatigoni entered the store, as seen on surveillance video, and forced Toor and another employee into a back room where Toor was shot and killed.
Police say Fatigoni then chased the second employee out of the store and made off with some cash.
“You're taking somebody's life for $200 or $300, why?” Sohdi said.
Toor, who immigrated from India six years ago, moved his wife to the U.S. just four months ago.
Her American dream now shattered, Sohdi says the local Sikh community is pulling together to help her and Toor’s other family members get through this tough time.
“We tell them, ‘This is the best country. Anything bad can happen anywhere,’” said Sohdi. “‘And this country serves justice.’”
Fatigoni is being held on a $1,000,000 cash bond.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 26.
The Toor family released a statement in response to Fatigoni's arrest:
"On behalf of Amanjeet Singh Toor's family, we would like to thank the Phoenix Police Department, the local community, and all those involved behind the scenes. We are truly appreciative and grateful for everyone's time and dedication. We are obligated to the Phoenix Police Department and their investigative wing in helping make an arrest of the alleged suspect in such a short span of time, and therefore bringing peace to our family.God Bless,
The Toor Family"