ELK GROVE, Calif. —
California is prioritizing six unsolved murder cases, including the 2011 killings of Gurmej Atwal and Surinder Singh in Elk Grove, with Governor Gavin Newsom announcing $50,000 rewards for information leading to arrests and convictions.
Fifteen years after Gurmej Atwal and Surinder Singh were fatally shot during their afternoon walk in Elk Grove, the case remains unsolved, but new rewards are being offered to help bring justice.
Atwal, 78, had started walking regularly for his health, earning the nickname “Walking Man” from his son, Kamaljit Singh Atwal.
“He walked six, seven, eight, 10 miles a day and then he controlled his diabetes.”
Kamaljit says his father met 65-year-old Singh through friends after he told him he was having health issues due to a heart attack, and he soon started joining Atwal on his walks.
“Mr. Singh started walking with my father, and then he was gaining his health day by day,” Kamaljit Singh Atwal said.
On March 4, 2011, their routine took a tragic turn along East Stockton Boulevard near Geneva Point Drive. Elk Grove police said a lifted truck pulled alongside the men, and someone inside fired several shots. Kamaljit recalls that Singh died at the scene, while Atwal fought for 45 days in the hospital before passing away.
Since the killings, the Sikh community and police have offered substantial rewards, but the case remains unsolved. Elk Grove police said the investigation has been ongoing since 2011, including attempts to use DNA technology a few years ago, which did not lead to a breakthrough.
Kamaljit Singh Atwal expressed mixed feelings about the timing of the rewards.
“I would say that something is better than nothing, but it’s too late,” Kamaljit Singh Atwal said. “If it could have been announced recently at that time, maybe that would promote or motivate any… but something is better.”
Elk Grove police are hopeful that someone with information will come forward.
“There’s an English saying: you can run, you cannot hide. That’s my faith,” Kamaljit Singh Atwal said.
He remains optimistic that justice will eventually be served.
“Hope is life. Life is hope. Hope is life, but I’ve seen on TV after 30, 40, 50 years the persons have been caught,” Kamaljit Singh Atwal said.
In 2021, the “Singh and Kaur” Park opened in Elk Grove in memory of the two men.
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