Saiful Islam Bhuyia, a 36-year-old man of Bangladeshi descent, was a respected business owner in his Atlanta community, having come to the United States in search of a better life. He was married with two children and was known to be part of a close-knit Bangladeshi community in the city.
On the night of September 10, 2017, at approximately 11 p.m., Bhuyia and his employee, 20-year-old Rizanul Islam, had just closed Southern Grocery on Westview Drive.
As they sat in Bhuyia's vehicle, a white car with its headlights off pulled up beside them. A man, later identified as 23-year-old Jousha Routh, exited the passenger side of the car, approached the driver's side of Bhuyia's vehicle, and demanded money. In an attempt to escape the robbery, Bhuyia accelerated. It was at this moment that Routh fired a. 40 caliber Glock handgun twice through the driver's window. Bhuyia was struck in the upper back and neck and died at the scene. Islam was hit in the head and succumbed to his injuries at Grady Memorial Hospital a few days later.
Investigators initially had little evidence to work with at the scene of the crime. However, a crucial break in the case came when they discovered Routh's left palm print on the exterior of Bhuyia's car. This, along with an examination of Routh's phone records which placed him at the grocery store shortly before the shooting, identified him as the primary suspect. Further investigation using license plate reader technology led law enforcement to the vehicle used by Routh and two other alleged accomplices. Three months after the murders, in December 2017, the FBI arrested Joshua Routh in Ellenwood.
In February 2020, a Fulton County judge sentenced Jousha Routh to two consecutive life sentences plus 35 years. He was convicted on multiple charges, including felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The two other suspects who were in the car with Routh were not publicly identified in the available information. The swift resolution of the case brought a measure of relief to the local Bangladeshi community, who had mourned the senseless loss of two of their own.
