Innocent man, father of three, murdered during domestic dispute

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A beloved business owner and father of three girls was murdered after being caught in the middle of a domestic dispute.

50-year-old Rakesh Bhagavan was working at the Pittsburgh Motel in Robinson Township on Friday when police say a suspect, armed with a gun, shot a woman he knows before turning the gun on the innocent hotel manager.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Motel manager dead, woman in critical condition after shooting in Robinson Township

Police say the suspect took off to the East Hills in a U-Haul where he was involved in a shootout with police, wounding a Pittsburgh detective. That detective was shot in the leg and is now out of the hospital and home recovering.

>>> PHOTOS: Investigation underway after Pittsburgh police officer shot <<<

Police say Stanley West first fired a gun into a car driven by a woman he knows. Her son was in the backseat and was not hurt. According to court documents, Rakesh Bhagavan heard the commotion and walked out of the motel office, where he asked West, “Are you alright, bud?”

Those were his last words before police say West pointed a gun at Bhagavan and shot him in the head, killing him.

Beth Pittinger, the Executive Director of Pittsburgh’s Citizen Police Review Board says West murdered him in cold blood for no reason at all.

“That man just ruthlessly shot an innocent in the head,” Pittinger said. “What did he expect that he was just going to walk away from that?”

Police say the female victim raced a half mile to a nearby auto body shop while bleeding to get help. She is still in critical condition.

License plate readers helped police track West in the U-Haul he was driving to Wilner Drive in the East Hills. That’s where investigators say West fired at police, hitting a Pittsburgh detective in the leg. Officers returned fire. Pittinger says those officers did everything right.

“I think any reasonable person would assume if you point a gun at an officer, you’re going to get shot,” Pittinger added. “That’s the rule.”

As we first reported on Friday, sources tell Channel 11, the Pittsburgh Detective shot in the leg has now been shot twice on the job in the last five years.

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“These officers, our city officers, are going into situations that are fraught with high risk,” Pittinger said. “It’s certainly admirable he has that kind of commitment and dedication to his profession.”

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