Vivek Saini in his worst nightmare would not have imagined that he would be attacked by a man he had been generous to. In a tragic incident on January 16, Saini, a 25-year-old Indian student working part-time at Chevron Food Mart in Lithonia, Georgia, lost his life after a brutal attack by a homeless man.
According to reports from local channel WSB-TV, witnesses revealed that Saini was assaulted with a hammer late at night after he requested the homeless man, identified as Julian Faulkner, to leave the store premises.
Saini's family in Barwala, Haryana, shared that he moved to the US two years ago after earning his B Tech in Computer Science from Chandigarh University. Recently graduating with a Masters in Business Administration from
Saini, described as a brilliant student, sought employment for a living for himself and his family.
Employees at the food mart, where the incident took place, had been extending kindness toward Faulkner for several days. One of the employees shared with WSB-TV, "He asked us for chips and coke. We gave him everything including the water. He asked if I could get a blanket. I said we don't have blankets so I gave him a jacket. He was walking in and out asking him for cigarettes, water, and everything. He was sitting here all the time and we never asked him to get out because we know that it's cold."
However, on the fateful Monday night, Saini informed Faulkner that he needed to vacate the premises, threatening to call the police otherwise. As Saini was preparing to leave, Faulkner launched a vicious assault, striking him repeatedly with a hammer, causing "severe head trauma." Tragically, Saini succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
DeKalb County police responded to a call around 12:30 a.m. after receiving report an assault at a Chevron gas station in Lithonia. Upon arrival, officers discovered Faulkner standing over Saini, wielding a hammer.
He complied with police orders to drop the weapon and was subsequently arrested. Police seized two knives and another hammer from Faulkner at the scene. The police report described a harrowing scene, with a significant amount of blood spatter evident on the convenience store floor. Another store clerk, who witnessed the attack, was found hiding in the back of the booth, visibly shaken and struggling to articulate due to fear.
