Telangana student shot dead in US eatery; suspect caught on CCTV

Hyderabad: A 26-year-old student from Telangana was killed after unknown persons opened fire at a restaurant in Kansas City.

The deceased, identified as Sharath Koppu, was studying at the University of Missouri-Kansas City or UMKC.

According to local media reports, Sharath was fatally wounded in the shooting at a restaurant called J’s Fish and Chicken Market at about 7 pm on Friday local time. 

The victim's cousin said that Sharath received five bullet injuries. Although he was immediately shifted to a hospital in the vicinity, his cousin said Koppu succumbed to his injuries.

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. They also announced a reward of USD 10,000 for information leading to charges.

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 to the ground. 

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.

External Affairs Minister Sushama Swaraj also offered condolences and promised to provide the required assistance to Koppu's family.

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.  

(With inputs from ANI)