I-80 KILLING Doctor is mourned, missed
Anyone who witnessed the shooting is asked to call (440) 234-2096.
SHARON, Pa. -- When Dr. Peter Daloni's telephone started ringing Friday evening, just as a thunderstorm began to drench the area, he had a feeling that something was wrong.
He had no idea he was going to be told that his co-worker and good friend, Dr. Gulam Moonda, had been shot and killed.
"It's devastating, very upsetting," said Dr. Daloni, who has spent the last 15 years working alongside Dr. Moonda at Sharon Regional Health System. "He was just such a great person. Very, very wonderful. He was so gregarious."
Dr. Moonda was killed during a robbery on the Ohio Turnpike in Broadview Heights, Ohio, around 6:30 p.m. Friday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
Details of the crime
Dr. Moonda, 65, of Hermitage, Pa., had pulled his 2000 Jaguar to the side of the road on Interstate 80 westbound to exchange drivers, said Sgt. Rick Zwayer, patrol spokesman in Columbus.
The doctor was with his wife and mother-in-law, Dr. Daloni said.
A dark van pulled up and the driver demanded money from Dr. Moonda and then shot him, Zwayer said Saturday. He said it's not known why Dr. Moonda was shot after the robbery was carried out.
The robber fled the scene.
No arrests have been made. Anyone who witnessed the shooting is asked to call the patrol's Berea headquarters at (440) 234-2096.
Dr. Moonda was pronounced dead at the scene by personnel aboard a medical helicopter, Zwayer said.
Assisting at the scene were the Broadview Heights Fire Department and the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office.
The hospital released this statement: "We deeply regret and mourn the loss of Dr. Gulam Moonda. Dr. Moonda, physician and surgeon at Sharon Regional Health System for 35 years, will be sadly missed by his fellow physicians, administration and the entire Sharon Regional family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and loves ones."
Dr. Daloni added that Dr. Moonda's death is a loss for the whole community.
"He was a great person, and this is just a huge loss for everyone," Dr. Daloni said.