A burning couch ended up causing $370,000 worth of damage to a home in Oxnard Tuesday morning.

The sofa blaze in the 300 block of Dollie Street was reported at around 1:56 a.m, an Oxnard Fire Department spokesman said.

Firefighters arrived to find the rear of the home on fire.

A 69-year-old who was inside was escorted out of the house and treated for minor smoke inhalation. She refused further medical treatment.

The fire was sparked after the woman lit a fire in her fireplace, and one of the logs rolled out.

It took firefighters around 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze.

The incident caused $350,000 in structure damage, and a further $20,000 in contents damage.

A Southern California desalination plant set to open this fall will be the largest in the Western Hemisphere and the only water supply in San Diego not dependent on rainfall or a snowpack.

When the facility opens, it should generate 50 million gallons of potable water each day. That’s enough water for 300,000 residents, or 7 percent of the county of San Diego.

In light of Gov. Jerry Brown’s new mandatory water reductions, Jessica Jones, Community Outreach Manager for Poseidon Water, said many are looking forward to the opening of the plant.

“There are a lot of eyes on the Carlsbad Desalination Project because of the drought situation we’re in,” said Jones.

Four hundred workers are on site, making sure the construction is set to finish on time. So far, Jones said, the plant has passed the systems tests.

Ocean water will be pumped in through a 72-inch feed line and end up in a filter bay, where it will be treated several times before it reaches the pressure vessels. There, the salt is extracted through reverse osmosis.

While a new water source will be welcome, it certainly will not be cheap for residents.

“Desalinated water will be more expensive than imported water when it comes online,” Jones said. “But soon, imported water rates will continue to rise and imported water will be more expensive than desalinated water. And what we need to look at as consumers is what is the cost of not having water at all.”

Because of the high cost of desalination, San Diego County customers will likely see increase in their water bills. 

Studies by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have shown no negative impact on the environment, Jones said, though environmentalists are still concerned about the plant's effect on the local fish and marine life populations. 

Livia Borak with the Coast Law Group in Encinitas said that the plant, as the most energy intensive water supply option, "exaverbates climate change" and should be used only as a "last resort."

"This is especially true for the Carlsbad Desalination Project, which not only negatively impacts marine life but also fails to mitigate the majority of its greenhouse gas emissions," said Borak in a statement. "When 60 percent of residential water use is spent on outdoor landscaping, we should be looking to conservation first."

Despite criticism, operators insist the project is environmentally safe, and much needed. 

“It is a new water supply so it does give us some protection from drought in the future,” said Jones. “But it’s still important for residents and businesses to conserve as much as they can. It’s just part of the puzzle to being water dependent in California.”

Seven years after LAPD rebooted recruit training, department officials Monday expressed confidence the revised approach is better preparing officers to deal with the challenges of policing and maintaining community trust in a multicultural metropolis.

The change had occurred largely under the radar. There was no big announcement at the time. But with extensive research, and the guidance of a clinical psychologist, the department implemented a curriculum designed to stress problem-solving, and to the strengthen the connection between core values and daily law enforcement duties.

"The new curriculum is about problem-based learning. It's about taking scenarios and applying them," said Dr. Luann Pannell, a clinical psychologist who serves as LAPD's director of training and education.

Training is structured to stress relationships between different focus areas.

"I'm working with the human relations instructor when I'm teaching tactics," said Officer Joe Johnson, the academy's senior tactics instructor. Johnson likes the approach and believes academy graduates are "more rounded" when they moved into patrol to work with training officers.

The new curriculum was introduced at a time when the department was operating under the terms of a federal consent decree imposed in 2001 and not lifted until two years ago. The U.S. Department of Justice had sued Los Angeles to compel reform in the wake of the Rampart corruption scandal. Training was one of the areas ordered to be improved.

In addition to the original facility in Elysian Park near Dodger Stadium, the LAPD Academy operates at two other locations, in Westchester at the Ahmanson Recruit Training Center, and in Granada Hills at the Davis Training Facility. The Elysian Park campus is temporarily closed for renovation.

On day two of the six month program, the curriculum delves into issues of community perceptions, racial and ethnic stereotypes, the department's commitment to treating individuals with respect, and the negative legacy of past failures to do so.

Day two at the LAPD Academy now ends with — of all things — the recitation of a poem, Human Family, by Maya Angelou.

"I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike."

Recruits are taught that never forgetting their own life experiences will help them understand the perspectives of those they encounter, said Officer Anthony Pack of the Human Relations Training Unit.

Officers are encouraged to take ownership of interactions, to assist victims and others affected by an incident.

"When we police well, when we police constitutionally, it creates greater trust, and we are all safer," Pannell said.

New attitudes are being embraced not only at the academy, but also after graduates move into the field, said Chief Charlie Beck.

This has not spared the department renewed controversies over deadly uses of force in cases involving minorities, including the shooting deaths last August of a man with mental illness, Ezell Ford, and more recently a homeless ex-con, Charley Keunang.

A tipster's phone call led police and drug agents to a Pasadena business Monday where investigators found hundreds of pounds of marijuana in what might have been a major drug operation concealed in office space.

Nearly 30 people were detained during the investigation involving the manufacture of hash oil, a substance extracted from cannabis. Police received an anonymous call at 2:30 p.m. Monday claiming the buildings on Nina Street were being used to make the banned substance, the Pasadena Police Department said.

Around 500 pounds of marijuana and 200 pint sized Mason jars of hash oil was seized from the lab, police said. Agents removed plastic bags and rubber boxes filled with evidence and marked with the weight of its contents.

Agent placed a yellow sign on the building that read, "Warning: A clandestine laboratory of illegal drugs and or hazardous chemicals was seized at this location."

CO2, a gas which is used during the manufacturing process, also was found. It is used at high pressure to enable the extraction of the substance, which can be the most potent of the main cannabis products due to the high level of psychoactive compound per volume.

In total, 28 people were initially detained for questioning, but only two remained in police custody Tuesday morning. The two men were arrested on suspicion of manufacturing or chemically extracting a controlled substance. Those released were employees of the operation, police said.

Neighbors said the business  moved into the building about a year ago.

The owners told police they were manufacturing "botanical medicine" and believe they were operating lawfully. They have since posted bond.

The Pasadena Fire Department also responded due to the dangerous nature of the hash oil extraction process, but no evacuations were ordered.

NBC4's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

A woman with cancer headed from Hawaii to San Jose says she was bumped from an Alaska Airlines flight because she was wearing a surgical mask and admitted to a flight attendant she felt a bit "weak."

Elizabeth Sedway is now using her extra long flight delay to call for common sense from the airline regarding cancer patients and a written apology.

Apparently it worked.

Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan on Tuesday told NBC Bay Area that the "communication breakdown was on our part," adding that the company will refund the airfare for family and reimburse any expenses.

Sedway, who lives in Granite Bay in Northern California and suffers from multiple myeloma, said in a phone interview Tuesday from Hawaii that her entire family was escorted off the flight Monday after she put on a surgical mask in the boarding area of the Lihue Airport.

The flight attendant asked Sedway if she was OK, and the 51-year-old mother, travel writer and attorney admitted she might need some extra time to board because sometimes "I feel weak." The flight attendant called a doctor, she said, who issued the opinion that Sedway shouldn't fly.

Sedway shot video from the plane, which she posted on her Facebook page, where she is heard saying in a frustrated voice: "I'm being removed like I'm a criminal or contagious because I have cancer. No note to fly. My family is being forcibly removed from the airplane because I have cancer."

Then she asks: "Does anybody wonder how I got to Hawaii?"

There are precautions that travelers with cancer should take, according to Cancer.net. Some people with cancer may not be able to fly because oxygen levels and air pressure changes at high altitudes can be dangerous. Changes in air pressure during a flight can also trigger swelling called lymphedema in the arms, legs, or other parts of the body for people who have had lymph nodes removed. Also, Cancer.net notes that people with cancer are at a higher risk to develop a blood clot after sitting through a long flight.

USA Today also compiled a list of reasons why airlines could refuse service, including if passengers have contagious diseases or pre-existing conditions such as cancer, heart disease, lung conditions, diabetes and other issues, and the decision rests with the captain.

Sedway acknowledges that she didn't have a doctor's note clearing her for safe travel. And she added that airlines officials told her that because she felt "weak," they were worried about her flying over an open ocean. "They didn't want me to collapse," she said.

Still, Sedway said she has flown for the last five years. She said she even emailed her oncologist during the encounter with the flight attendant, and her doctor gave her clearance to board and fly.

"What more can I give you?" Sedway asked rhetorically, recalling her question to the flight attendant.

But she was not allowed to reboard, so she and her family, including her two sons, spent the night in Maui. She is expected to fly out from Hawaiian Airlines later on Tuesday, expecting to arrive in San Jose by 7 p.m. She said the delay will cause her to miss her chemo appointment this week - something that's never happened before.

Sedway has gone through a range of emotions, from tears, to shock to anger. She just wishes the airline would have bit more accommodating, even if the company needs to cover its own liabilities.

"They need to polish their policies, apply some common sense," she said. "A simple mask, a word, shouldn't be enough to pull a whole family off an airplane."

An incredibly sweet 8-year-old pit bull mix named Chester who has spent the last five years in shelters was adopted after a Long Island animal group posted a picture of him holding a sign that read, "Why doesn't anyone want me?"

The heart-rending photo shows Chester looking down at the sign with his big brown eyes, one white-tipped paw resting over the cardboard.

"Everyone at the shelter tells me what a good boy I am. So why has no one adopted me?" the sign reads. "I promise to be good and love my new family. Please maybe you are my new family. I sit and wait for you to come."

Hundreds of calls from around the world came in from people inquiring about adopting Chester. Last week, a family from Ronkonkoma came to take him home. According to the North Fork Animal Welfare League/Riverhead Animal Shelter Facebook page, Chester went home with his new family Friday. They bought him a new bed and said he loved it.

Virtual Facebook hearts swelled over Chester's adoption. Between "likes" and likes of those likes, some users posted that they were moved to tears by his story.

Chester was plucked off the streets of New York -- a stray -- five years ago and sent to the Riverhead Animal Shelter. He lived there for quite some time before moving to the North Fork Animal Welfare League's Southold location, where he spent the last few months, reports the website Southold Local.

The manager of the North Fork organization, Gabby Stroup, launched a Facebook page dedicated to finding Chester a home Wednesday -- with that heart-wrenching photo -- and calls and emails came in from as far away as Australia and Nova Scotia, the website said. Stroup got a call from a woman named Dana Dor, who said a friend of hers in Michigan had shared Chester's photo on her Facebook page, and Dor, her husband and two sons went to visit the pup at the shelter the next day.

Chester met the family with kisses and went home with them that day, according to Southold Local.

The Dor family lost two Yorkies five years ago -- the same length of time Chester has been in shelters.

"We think he was waiting for us," Dor told Southold Local. She said her husband, Adi Dor, had tears in his eyes the first time he met the pup.

"We saw him and we felt connected," Adi Dor told Southold Local. "It was meant to be."

A Mexican tourist who stopped for gas in Riverside ended up foiling a robbery attempt when he locked the hooded suspect in a chokehold and pinned him to the floor until police arrived.

Surveillance video taken inside the AM-PM mini-mart Sunday shows a man in a black hooded sweatshirt lunging over the counter to grab cash from an open register.

Seconds later, a customer leaps into action and grabs the man from behind. The customer and cashier start throwing punches, and as the suspect backs down, the customer puts him in a chokehold.

"I took him by his neck," said the customer, Alfonso Miramontes.

NBC4 spoke to Miramontes from his home in Juarez, Mexico.

Miramontes said he and his family had stopped at the gas station after a weekend of sightseeing in Southern California.

When Miramontes saw the robbery in progress, his instinct was to immediately help, in part because he's a former police officer, he said.

"It was the right thing to do," Miramontes said.

The robber allegedly threatened to kill Miramontes as they both went to the ground.

For about eight minutes, Miramontes and another good Samaritan held the suspect down until Riverside police arrived.

"I was so grateful that another customer, he's helping us to grab the guy and put him on the floor," said Mohammad Hossain, a manager at the AM-PM.

Police arrested 25-year-old Yakini Gaines for attempted robbery.

Miramontes said he was glad to bring him to justice.

"I hope more people do these things," he said.

However, police said anyone witnessing a crime should call 911 instead.

Moments after a car crashed into a home in San Diego's Serra Mesa community, the driver began apologizing and kept trying to hug the homeowner and other people at the scene.

“I just heard this huge noise and the house just started shaking," said homeowner Ian Jones.

Jones was awake and approximately 25 feet from where the car jumped the curb and smashed into the side of the home on Greyling Drive around midnight on Monday.

"I just heard this screech, and obviously it was cars I could hear them going really fast, and then all of a sudden, just bang,” Jones said.

His two children, ages 4 and 6, slept through the crash.

Jones said he told the driver to get out of the car because he was worried about some gas lines near where the car hit.

Jones said the driver smelled like alcohol and kept apologizing, and trying to hug people at the scene.

When police arrived, they arrested the 20-year-old driver on suspicion of DUI.

The driver did give Jones some sort of an explanation as to what happened.

"All he kept saying was that his friend should have told him he was going to turn right,” Jones said. “Well, there's a stop sign there. So, you know you could have stopped and turned right."

No one was in the room where the car hit, and nobody was hurt.

Carrying cardboard coffins representing the more than 615 people they say have been killed by police in LA County since 2000, marchers Tuesday called attention to police shootings and police brutality.

Members of the Youth Justice Coalition and United Families for Justice led marches — titled "Remember Me, Death By Cop" for the hundreds killed by law enforcement officers in 2000 — in four locations, converging in front of the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration.

The United Families For Justice is a collective of family members and others from Southern California who have lost loved ones in police shootings.

The group has been meeting since the winter in response to the high-profile killings of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and Ezell Ford.

"I'm here today just to stand in solidarity with 615+ lives that have fallen ... at the hands of law enforcement," said Jose Gallegos, as he carried a cardboard coffin.

Tanisha Denard echoed the sentiments.

"Officers need to get held accountable," she said.

An emergency system normally used for floods, fires and other disasters was put to the test Tuesday, but for the first time it was used as a reminder to Orange County residents to conserve water.

The emergency notification system AlertOC simultaneously placed test calls, text, messages and emails to up to 2 million residents and businesses throughout the county at 3 p.m., according to the Municipal Water District of Orange County.

The regionwide call is primarily a drill but capitalized on the wide audience to spread awareness about an ever-worsening drought and suggest wise water use, just a week after Gov. Jerry Brown's announcement of unprecedented, mandatory water restrictions.

The phone message first notified listeners that the call was a test before providing directions on how to register for cellphone, text message or email alerts.

The alert system test, implemented in 2008, is usually held once a year but was done Tuesday to address a glitch in the last drill in September.

"It's really important to remind people that even though the water is still coming out the tap we have a problem," said Darcy Burke, a spokeswoman for the MWD.

AlertOC is not likely to be used to blast additional messages on the drought, said Burke. Instead, an alert would go out for something putting a water supply in immediate danger.

"But the beauty is that we know that it's here and that we can use it," Burke said.

The system has more than 30 participating cities including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Anaheim, according to the AlertOC website.

Landlines get called automatically but Burke urged residents to register cellphones and emails online to make sure they're getting information.

"An emergency can happen at any time. Preparedness is the key to recovery," said a news release from Anaheim officials Monday.

Anaheim officials encouraged residents to sign up for AlertOC as well as Anaheim Alert, another notification system that allows customization according to geographic location, types of messages and preferred mode of communication, according to the release.

"It's important to stay updated and remain current on what's happening now and in the future," said Anaheim spokeswoman Ruth Ruiz.

Both services are free but standard text messaging charges to mobile devices could apply, according to the release.

Residents can go to www.AlertOC.com for more information and www.OCwatersmart.com to learn more about water conservation.

"Twenty-four" is the number of note entering Tuesday's LA Lakers versus LA Clippers rematch. No, "24" does not refer to Kobe Bryant. Bryant will likely sit on the sidelines during the contest, but his famous no. 24 jersey will only be visible in the crowd, as the five-time champion is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

On the heels of a phenomenal national championship, one may think that the number of note could refer to the NBA's shot clock. No, the shot clock should be functional, and valuing every possession is important, but the reason to keep the no. 24 in mind is far simpler than that.

The 2014/15 LA Lakers only have 24 quarters remaining in their season. Twenty-four quarters provide these Lakers the opportunity to further cement their place in the darkest depth of the franchise. At the least, this team will finish with the worst record since the franchise arrived in LA. However, finishing as the worst team in franchise history remains a real possibility. The Lakers need two wins in their final six games to avoid finishing with the worst winning percentage in franchise history.

These are 24 quarters, frankly, just about everyone could do without. However, the Lakers held practice on Monday and return to the court on Tuesday night. The LA Clippers, who have won six in a row against their Staples Center co-tenants, plan on pounding the Lakers once again on Tuesday. On average, the Clippers have outscored the Lakers by 27.8 points per game over the past six contests. Right on average, the Clippers beat the Lakers by 28 points on Sunday.

Two days later, the Lakers have not miraculously improved, and the Clippers have not suddenly lost the ability to play basketball. The first four of the final 24 quarters could be the ugliest of the season. Doc Rivers, Chris Paul and the LA Clippers have not been merciful in this down time for the LA Lakers, and Tuesday promises another lopsided loss.

For those who intend to torture themselves by watching a lamb being tortured and slaughtered on Tuesday night, Lakers rookie Jordan Clarkson is a player to keep an eye on. After Paul and the Clippers lit up the Lakers on Sunday, Clarkson made a point to study film and adjust to the Clippers' defensive schemes that focused on neutralizing the 22-year-old.

With the rare rematch, Clarkson's ability to adjust and improve on Tuesday provides an interesting side story to distract from the scoreboard. After all, the game itself should be a one-sided entirely non-competitive contest. Even calling it a contest sounds like a stretch at this point.

The Lakers and Clippers tip-off at 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time at Staples Center.

A pair of men are being sought by police after robbing and assaulting a doughnut shop worker in the Inland Empire over the weekend, officials said.

The employee was at Lee's Donuts in the 12000 block of Air Express Way in Adelanto when two men came inside just after 10:20 p.m. Sunday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

One man jumped over the counter, assaulted the worker and forced him to open the cash register, officials said. The pair fled the shop with cigarettes, lottery tickets and an undisclosed cash.

One of the men was armed with a handgun, officials said. They were wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and white bandanas that covered their faces.

Anyone with information should call 760-552-6800. Callers who want to remain anonymous can call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or visit www.wetip.com.

A group of volunteer firefighters were arrested Monday night in connection with an alleged sexual assault.

A man — whose identity was not released because he is a sexual assault victim — filed the complaint March 31, stating that five fellow firefighters held him down at the Emergency Service District No. 6 fire station, pulled his pants down and, while laughing and yelling, sexually assaulted him multiple times with multiple instruments on Jan. 20.

The allegation is outlined in graphic detail in the link below.

• WARNING: Graphic Account of Firefighter's Sexual Assault

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Lonny Haschel said 26-year-old Keith Wisakowsky, 30-year-old Casey Stafford, 19-year-old Preston Peyrot, 28-year-old Alec Miller and 19-year-old Blake Tucker were arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault.

A sixth person, 23-year-old Brittany Leanne Parten, recorded the incident and was arrested for improper photography, according to Haschel.

The affidavit stated that all those arrested could be seen and heard yelling and laughing during the incident.

Online jail records show at 4:30 p.m. that five of the six accused had been released; Stafford remained in custody, held on $75,000 bond.

According to The Associated Press, the department's Facebook page listed Miller as 2014 officer of the year.

Authorities said the Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.

Ellis County Judge Carol Bush released the following statement regarding the incident:

NBC 5's Ellen Bryan, Frank Heinz and Jocelyn Lockwood contributed to this report.

A sweet toothed black bear who broke into a southwest Florida home and gobbled up a family's Easter candy tried coming back the next day for more, NBC affiliate WBBH reports.

Estero resident Caroline Tidwell told WBBH she awoke early Friday to what sounded like Venetian blinds coming off the track, then heard the sounds of furniture moving around.

What she was hearing were the sounds of a 300 to 400 pound black bear that had gotten into the house.

"He was making slobbering noises and bear noises," Tidwell said.

Tidwell feared the bear may have been eating her cats. The feline family pets were completely safe, but the chocolate treats held in a dish in the living room were not, as Tidwell found the sweet toothed bear going to town on the candy.

Tidwell called 911 and was able to scare the bear away, but only for a day. The following morning, the bear returned and she and her husband banged loudly on pots and pans and managed to scare the bear off.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission tells WBBH that black bear sightings are common this time of year in certain parts of Florida.

The bears are quite hungry and will make a meal of just about anything they can find, including sweets and chocolate, FWC says.

The FWC has proposed that bear hunting be legalized again in an effort to curb Florida's growing population and to lessen the chances of dangerous interactions between bears and humans.

Police say they've arrested a man suspected of firing a gun in the parking lot of a Queens casino at the same time dozens of people were attacking each other in a food court brawl there.

Authorities found no one who had been injured by the gunfire, but used surveillance footage to track the suspect's movements, police said. The NYPD's Facial Recognition Unit identified him as 22-year-old Jaquan Roberts, police said.

Roberts, of Brooklyn, was arrested on charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. It wasn't immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

The 911 call reporting gunfire in the parking lot of Resorts World Casino last Friday night came in at the same time as a number of 911 calls reporting a massive brawl.

Police responding to the casino found dozens of people throwing punches and hurling chairs, authorities said.

Three people were arrested and many more suffered minor injuries in the free-for-all, police said. One officer suffered a hand injury.

Police say hundreds of people watched and dozens participated.

A witness told NBC 4 New York that the melee started when two people argued about their place in line at a new Fat Tuesday daiquiri stand in the casino.

One of the arrested men was given a summons for disorderly conduct and released. Two others had previous warrants and were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.

A Resorts World Casino spokesman said in a statement that the casino's security had responded to the fight and worked to get it under control.

"The safety of our patrons is Resorts World's top priority, and there is absolutely no room for this kind of behavior at our facility," the statement said. "We are reviewing all aspects of this unfortunate event and are fully committed to taking steps to ensure similar acts do not take place ever again."

Carlsbad-based Jenny Craig is one of the top weight loss programs for dieters to shed fat and keep it off, according to a new study.

The study by Annals of Internal Medicine showed people using Jenny Craig saw 4.9 percent greater weight loss after a year than those relying on dieting education and behavior counseling.

Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers were the two diet programs recommended in the study for doctors to refer patients to use.

Similarly, those who used Weight Watchers in clinical trials lost 2.6 percent more weight than people relying on just education.

Jenny Craig combines pre-planned meals and counseling with a professional consultant in a long-term weight loss plan.

The study looked at 141 different weight loss programs, but, according to published reports, only 11 of the programs had been tested in clinical trials lasting at least three months.

The research showed diets such as Medifast and Optifast showed marked weight loss after four or five months, but a lack of sustained results after nine months.

Nutrisystem also showed promising weight-loss results, but the study suggested further research on longterm benefits were needed.

A Connecticut father-to-be was shot and killed by two gunmen who stole cash and a box of cigars during a robbery at a New Haven gas station where he worked as a clerk, New Haven police said.

Sanjay Patel, 39, would have been a first-time father in just three months. He and his wife, Bhavana "B" Chavada, had been trying to have a child for 10 years.

"My heart is broken already," she Chavada.

Patel was shot during a robbery at the Pay Rite Food Store at the Citgo station on Forbes Avenue around 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday.

Police said one gunman shot Patel four times. The other shot him more than once and Patel died at the hospital, according to police.

His wife spent the night in the hospital as a precaution because she was in shock.

With no other family members nearby, Chavada's friends are now staying with her around the clock to make sure she is OK.

In January 2014, Chavada was burned in an explosion on Farren Avenue and had to be hospitalized and receive skin grafts on her hands.

"She couldn’t eat, she couldn’t talk, because it was all (smoke) inhalation," Slesha Desai, a friend, said.

Witnesses to the crime last night in New Haven reported seeing two masked men running from the scene southbound on Fulton Terrace.

"We're looking for two people that may be involved," said New Haven police spokesman Officer David Hartman. "We don't necessarily believe that two were firing guns. We know at least one was."

On Tuesday afternoon, police said one of the robbers was masked and wearing black gloves, a light gray hooded sweatshirt with "Jordan" on the left sleeve and sneakers. He shot the victim with a revolver, police said.

The other robber was also masked and wore gloves. He was wearing a darker gray or darker blue sweatshirt with words on the front, dark or black pants and all or mainly white sneakers. He shot the victim with a semi-automatic handgun, police said.

The owner of the gas station and businesses nearby are shocked by the crime.

“For a couple hundred dollars, they took one human life away,” Raj Ali, the owner of the gas station, said. “It’s not worth it. It’s bad.” 

Danny Scarpellino, who owns Scarpellino’s Restaurant across from the gas station, said he is in shock over what happened to Patel and called his death a tragedy.  

“It’s a tragedy … for money,” he said. “Go in a store and shoot a guy like that? For what reason?”

No funeral plans have been set.

Police are asking anyone with information to come forward and call police at 203-946-6304.