Durham restaurant owner killed

Officers responding to a reported shooting at 2016 Guess Road shortly after 10 p.m. found the body of Mohammed Arfan Sundal, 51, behind his Kabab & Curry House restaurant, police said.

“He’s lying down close to his car," a frantic woman told a dispatcher in a 911 call. "He said he came for a delivery, and he disappeared. I was waiting for him and just right now realized he’s lying down close to his car.”

Police obscured the portion of the call where the woman identified her relationship to Sundal, so it's unclear whether she was a relative or an employee.

The woman was so distraught that a clerk at a nearby convenience store, where she made the call, had to give the dispatcher the address to send police and paramedics.

Investigators didn't disclose a possible motive for the shooting, and they said they have no suspect or vehicle descriptions. Officers were canvassing the area Friday to generate leads in the case.

People who knew Sundal said he lived in Cary with his wife, two daughters and son.

Although the interior lights were on and a neon "Open" sign was lit in the front window, Kabab & Curry House remained closed Friday. A sign in the window said the restaurant closed at 9 p.m. Thursday – about an hour before Sundal was found dead.

Owners of neighboring businesses said the parking lot behind the restaurant is very dark at night because lights atop a nearby pole have been out and the lighting at the back doors of their businesses is dim.

Elvira Rodriguez, who works at a salon three doors down from the restaurant, said she’s been worried because of a recent string of robberies. Sundal's death has elevated that worry to fear, a feeling shared by Karen Rodriguez Ayala, her 12-year-old niece.

"I come here a lot, and sometimes I come here at night to pick up my aunt," Karen said.

Chris Hester, who lives near the restaurant, said he stays home most nights to lessen the chance of being a crime victim.

"I don't get out on the street traveling around. If I do, I know exactly where I'm going, and I'm not going to be in a dark area to start with," Hester said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call police at 919-560-4440, extension 29337, or Crime Stoppers at 919-683-1200.