Police in Texas investigating possible hate crime
LIBERTY, Texas (AP) — An alleged white supremacist accused of fatally shooting a convenience store owner in Southeast Texas is charged with capital murder.
Liberty police tell the Houston Chronicle they are trying to determine if 50-year-old Naushad Virani's death was a hate crime or if robbery was the only motive. A couple found Virani in a pool of blood on the floor of his store around 10:30 p.m. Christmas Day. He had been shot in the head.
Thirty-one-year-old Stevie "Bubba" Walder was arrested by Tyler County Sheriff's deputies Saturday in the fatal shooting.
His bond was set at more than $2 million. No attorney information was immediately available.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has asked the FBI to investigate whether Virani's religion was a possible motive in the killing.
