In a horrific incident, a 26-year-old Indian student from Telangana was killed in the United States after unknown persons opened fire at a restaurant in Kansas City. The killer, a black person, has been caught on the CCTV, installed both inside and outside the restaurant, where the shooting took place.
The deceased, identified as Sharath Koppu, was studying at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). He was critically injured when the man fired at him at a restaurant called J’s Fish and Chicken Market at about 7 pm on Friday local time. Sharath was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to bullet injuries.
According to reports, when the shooter pulled out his gun the restaurant staffers ducked behind the counter but Sharath turned around and began to run in the opposite direction when the gunman opened fire. Sharath was shot in the back and soon fell on the ground.
The Kansas City Police released the CCTV footage of the suspected shooter – seen in a brown and white striped shirt. The police described the incident as an armed robbery and launched a manhunt to nab the accused. A statement by police said, “Kansas City police are asking for help in identifying the man depicted in this surveillance video inside J’s Fish and Chicken Market on July 6, 2018 in Kansas City, MO. The man is suspected of shooting 25-year-old Sharath Koppu, who worked there.”
His family said they had received the news on Saturday morning that Sharath was wounded in a shooting. When they could not get any more information, they approached external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and minister K.T. Rama Rao.
Swaraj tweeted expressing her anguish and promised to provide all help to Sharath’s family. She wrote, “Kansas incident – My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. We will follow this up with the Police and provide all assistance to the family.”
Kansas incident – My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. We will follow this up with the Police and provide all assistance to the family. @IndiainChicago @IndianEmbassyUS @NavtejSarna
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 8, 2018
Kansas was in the news last year when city-based techie Srinivas Kuchibotla was shot dead by ex-US Navy veteran Adam Purinton in a hate incident at a pub in Olathe. In May, he was sentenced to life.
