Liberty Shooting Viewed as 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.

Stevie “Bubba” Walder, 31, 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.

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