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Community Corner

Candlelight Vigil Honors Murdered Store Clerk

They were all ages and races, lifelong residents alongside recent transplants. They came to honor a man that many had never met--Mohammad Reza Sadeghzadeh.

 

More than 100 Milpitas residents attended a candlelight vigil Friday night for , who was gunned down during a early last Saturday morning.

The crowd gathered in the parking lot outside the store on N. Milpitas Blvd. where Sadeghzadeh was killed. They stood near a small memorial of flowers, signs and other mementos.

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Their reasons for coming to the vigil varied—some say they were there to honor the man who lost his life just doing his job. Others viewed their attendance as a show of defiance against the criminals—a way of saying that this is not acceptable in Milpitas.

The vigil opened and closed with prayers. In between, several people offered their memories of Mo, as they called Sadeghzadeh. He was described as unfailingly friendly.

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Scott Salet, who works at the store and trained Sadeghzadeh back in June, called Milpitas an “extremely strong community,” and was pleased that the 50 candles he brought to the vigil were quickly distributed.

The voice of one speaker rose in anger as she said “one is too many,” a reference to this being the only homicide in Milpitas this year.

Another called on the assailants to turn themselves into police, saying “you’ve given a piece of your soul” for the murder.

Some wiped away tears, while others stood in silence.

of the three robbers taken by a security camera as they entered the store.

7-11 has offered a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the killers.

If you have information about the case, call the Milpitas Police Department at (408) 586-2400 or send tips via the Milpitas Police Department website.

Police estimated the crowd at 120-140. News crews from channels 2, 4, 5 and 7 covered the event, along with print and online reporters.

Sadeghzadeh is survived by his wife and two adult sons. They were not in attendance.

 

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