3 Men Charged in Murder of Philly Gas Station Clerk

Three men have been charged in the murder of a well-known store clerk at a Northeast Philadelphia gas station.

Chihean aka Chiheam Jones, 38, of Philadelphia, Robert Miller-Crafter, 25, of Chester, Pennsylvania, and Keyon Vincent, 21, of Philadelphia, were all arrested and charged with murder, robbery, criminal conspiracy, tampering with evidence and other related offenses.

On January 17, around 4 a.m., police responded to the Exxon Gas Station along the 7100 block of Torresdale Avenue. When they arrived they found 67-year-old Siboram Patro unresponsive and bleeding in the office area of the mini market, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Léelo en español aquí.

Patro had appeared to be shot once in the back. Officers began to rush Patro out of the store, but it was too late, Small said. Medics pronounced Patro dead minutes later.

Police say the killers broke down a door into secure cash register area, attacked the victim before killing him. His body is still lying in the doorway, friends say he was a kind man who often worried about the constant crime plaguing gas stations citywide @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/NH25hFQ7Kw

— Randy Gyllenhaal (@RandyGyllenhaal) January 17, 2023

"This is a tragedy," Small said.

Surveillance video captured the deadly shooting inside the Galati Bros. Food Market, investigators said.

"You can clearly see three males enter the property... they all had masks covering their faces," Small said.

The three men -- one in a puffy red coat, the other two in dark puffy jackets -- forced a locked door to the employee only office area open, Small said. They then attacked the store clerk and one of them fired a single shot.

"After he collapses, you can see one of the perpetrators then remove the cash register from the office and then take it from the property," Small said.

On Wednesday, police announced three persons of interest in Patro's murder were in custody. They later identified and charged Jones, Miller-Crafter and Vincent as the gunmen.

Patro -- who colleagues said was known as "Pat" -- had just recently returned from a trip to India, the store owner said.

"My heart is breaking for him, his family," a neighbor said while describing the worker as a hard worker who would help out the community. "There was no reason, senseless."

Neighbors told NBC10 Patro was vocal about his concerns over the crime and violence in Philadelphia.

One neighbor, who did not reveal her full name, expressed outrage over Patro's death.

"You need money, get off your ass and get a job," she said. "There's many jobs out here and if you need help go get help. Don't kill people. Don't rob people. That's sad. Nobody deserves this. Nobody."