Vigil set for business owner killed in east Columbus shooting

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Preparations are underway for a vigil to honor a Columbus convenience store owner who was killed during a shooting last week.

Vijayakumar Nair, otherwise known as Mike, was shot and killed Wednesday while working in his store, Mike's Carry Out and Grocery, a shooting that left many in the community heartbroken.

Columbus police have arrested Reko Hickson, 43, and charged him with murder. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning.

A memorial has been set up in Nair's honor outside his store on South Hamilton Road.

Kanish Thambyrajah has worked for Nair for the last two summers. She said every day when she came to work, she would see him treat his customers with respect and develop meaningful relationships with them.

Thambyrajah said Nair's selfless attitude was always on display.

"There would be times where, like, I hadn't eaten anything, like, before I came in and every hour or so, he'd be, like, checking on me and sometimes he'd offer his own lunch to me," Thambyrajah said.

She and her family will attend Sunday's vigil, which is open to the public and scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.

According to online court records, Hickson entered the convenience store and pulled out a gun in an attempt to rob the business. Nair then pulled out a gun to defend himself, resulting in a shootout between the two men.

As he was running from the store, Hickson ran past the building’s drive-thru window and fired several rounds, striking Nair, police said.

Investigators identified Hickson from surveillance footage and two other active robbery incidents, court documents said.