On December 2, 2024, 39-year-old Linthotage Anthony Manoj Fernando was fatally shot during a robbery at the Valero gas station located at 700 West Gulfway in Port Arthur, Texas. Fernando, originally from Sri Lanka and residing in Bridge City, had started working at the store on Thanksgiving, making his tenure tragically short.
Surveillance footage released by the Port Arthur Police Department shows the suspect entering the store armed with a silver handgun.
The assailant, described as a Black male approximately 5'9" tall, wearing a hoodie over his head, black jogging pants, white slides, and carrying a blue backpack, approached Fernando and, without hesitation, shot him before fleeing the scene.
At the time of the incident, another clerk was working in the cooler and was unharmed. The store supervisor noted that all five convenience stores he oversees in the area had been robbed in the past three months, including this same Valero location on November 11. In that prior incident, the gunman robbed the clerk but did not cause physical harm.
Fernando was known among his colleagues as a hardworking individual who had recently moved to Bridge City from Sri Lanka. He was supporting his paralyzed mother back home, adding a deeper layer of tragedy to his untimely death. His coworkers and the community have expressed profound grief over the loss, remembering him as someone who was always willing to help and brought joy to those around him.
As of now, the suspect remains unidentified and at large. The Port Arthur Police Department is actively seeking assistance from the public to identify the individual captured in the surveillance video. They have urged residents in the vicinity to review their own surveillance footage for any potential leads. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective T. Barboza at (409) 983-8650 or reach out to Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-TIPS.
In response to this incident, Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie has indicated a willingness to discuss implementing enhanced crime-fighting technologies, similar to those used in nearby cities, to improve public safety and prevent such tragedies in the future.
