Gurmej Singh Atwal, Surinder Kaur Singh were shot, killed in March
ELK GROVE, Calif. (KCRA) —It's not much of a sight: 5 acres of dried grass and dirt.
But in two years, the vision is to turn the land into a beautiful park and playground in the memory of two Elk Grove men, Gurmej Singh Atwal and Surinder Kaur Singh. They were gunned down while walking on Stockton Boulevard in March 2011.
Kamaljeet Atwal said his family is still mourning the loss of his father, Gurmej Atwal.
"It hurts really,” Atwal said. "Once a family member is lost, you cannot fill that loss."
They will now have a place to honor his memory. Elk Grove City Council voted Wednesday night to name the future recreation area on Atrio Circle in the Medeira East community the Singh and Kaur Park.
"It will promote awareness and tolerance in the community for the Sikhs,” Atwal said.
It's a dedication five years in the making, with the help of Amar Shergill, of the American Sikh Public Affairs Association.
"We want people to remember the families, two people, two grandfathers, who were the bedrock of this community,” Shergill said. “We want to remember this issue that a crime happened.”
A crime that remains unsolved. Police believe the shooter was driving a gold or tan raised pickup truck. But, they still don't have a suspect description or motive.
"Our detectives are still working leads that occasionally come in and that's slowed down, unfortunately,” Elk Grove Assistant Police Chief Bryan Noblett said. “But, it's still an open case, and we're encouraging anyone with information on this case to please bring it forward.”
That's what the families hope the park’s name will do: remind people to come forward and serve as a lasting legacy of their families in Elk Grove.
"The Elk Grove community knows a lot about the Sikh community, and they will know much more about it,” Atwal said.
The park is a $2 million project and there will be no fiscal impact for naming the park after the men, city officials said. Construction is expected to begin in 2018.
Elk Grove police said a $57,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the investigation is still in place and asks for people with information to come forward.