Houston | In a tragic incident, a 32-year-old Indian man, who came to the US less than a year ago, was fatally shot during a robbery at a convenience store in the US state of Texas.
Dasari Gopikrishna sustained critical injuries during a robbery incident at a gas station convenience store in Pleasant Grove, Dallas, on June 21.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday while undergoing treatment.
He hailed from the Yajali village of the Bapatla district in Andhra Pradesh and came to the US only eight months ago.
India's Consul General in Houston, D C Manjunath, who was in Dallas for a Yoga Day event on Sunday, confirmed to PTI that the incident was unrelated to a shooting in Arkansas, as previously reported by various sources.
Expressing condolences to Gopikrishna's family, Manjunath said, "We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic demise of Indian national Gopi Krishna Dasari in a robbery shooting incident at Pleasant Grove, Dallas, TX, and are in touch with local family members." The Consulate, along with support from Indian associations, is providing all possible assistance to facilitate the repatriation of Gopikrishna's body to India following local formalities, including autopsy and death certificates.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday promised to help bring back Gopikrishna's body.
Expressing condolences to the victim's family, the chief minister promised every possible help from the state government to the family based in the Bapatla district.
"Deeply saddened to learn that a young Dasari Gopikrishna from Bapatla has succumbed to injuries sustained in a shooting incident in Texas, USA. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and assure them…every possible support to help bring him home,” Naidu said in a post on social media platform X.
A video of the incident has gone viral in which a masked man wearing shorts and a cap is seen shooting multiple times at Gopikrishna and then stealing some items and cash from the retail outlet where the victim worked.
The incident has deeply affected the Indian community in Dallas and surrounding areas. Gopikrishna is survived by his wife and son.