Kansas Shooting: Another Indian Techie Shot Dead In A Restaurant In US

Police suspect that it is a case of robbery

By: News Desk |
July 8, 2018 1:20 pm

A 26-year-old techie from Hyderabad, Telangana was shot dead in Kansas in the US on Friday. The deceased, identified as Sharath Koppu, was shot inside a restaurant in Kansas City in Missouri state in a suspected case of robbery by unidentified gunmen. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, Koppu moved to the US in January and was pursuing his masters in software engineering at the University of Missouri. He was also working part-time at a restaurant in Kansas City. His family lives in Hyderabad but originally hails from Warangal district. They were informed about the incident on Saturday through media reports. They have approached the Hyderabad Director General of Police to find out the details.

Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Sunday confirmed the death and tweeted a condolence message.

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

Meanwhile, Kansas City Police are yet to confirm the motive of the attack and suspect that it was a case of robbery. They have urged people to provide clues and have also released a video of the suspect recorded minutes before the crime took place.

Looking for this suspect in the robbery & murder of 25-y.o. Sharath Kopuu at 5412 Prospect last night. Sharath was from India and is a student at UMKC. $10,000 reward for info leading to charges in this (& every KCMO murder) https://t.co/qUxkcItwXf

— Kansas City Police (@kcpolice) July 7, 2018

The attack comes in the backdrop of the Kansas shooting which took place last year in February when an Indian techie from Hyderabad was shot dead by a US Navy veteran. Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed inside a bar in an incident that was a racially motivated hate crime. His friend Alok Madasani and a bystander Ian Grillot, who tried to intervene were also injured in the attack.