Telangana student shot dead in US
Kansas City, July 8 : A 26-year-old student from Telangana was shot dead by a suspected robber at a restaurant here in the US state of Missouri, police said.
Sharath Koppu, a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UKMC), was shot at about 7 p.m. on Friday at J's Fish and Chicken Market near 54th and Prospect, where he worked as a part-time employee, The Kansas City Star local newspaper reported.
The police released a brief video of the suspect inside the restaurant moments before the shooting and asked for the community's assistance in identifying him.
Koppu was a software engineer who came to the US in January to pursue his master's degree.
Meanwhile, Raghu Chowdavaram, the victim's cousin, created a GoFundMe account on Saturday to collect money to pay for the body to be returned to India.
It raised $25,000 in three hours.
"He had the same dreams like everyone else, to make it big in the land of opportunity. He had a great sense of humour and always made people laugh and was always eager to lend a helping hand," Chowdavaram wrote in the GoFundMe account.
A worker at the restaurant told The Kansas City Star that the suspect, wearing a brown shirt with white stripes, had demanded money and pulled out a gun.
As people hid or ran for cover around him, Koppu bolted directly away from the suspect, towards the back of the store.
"(Koppu) ran, so he shot him in the back," the worker said.
Koppu died after being taken to a hospital.
"We offer our sincere sympathies to Sharath's family and friends in the wake of this senseless tragedy," UMKC said in a statement on Saturday.
UMKC Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal offered his own condolences in a tweet Saturday evening.
"Sharath and I share an Indian heritage, but all of us at UMKC share in the grief such tragedies bring," Agrawal wrote.
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Team B-Human distributes fruits, essentials to patients at Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru
Mangaluru: To mark Kannada Rajyothsava, Team B-Human conducted a charitable distribution drive on Thursday at Wenlock Hospital, Mangaluru, offering fruits and essential items to dialysis patients and children receiving treatment.
Dr. Shiva Prakash, District Medical Officer at Wenlock, inaugurated the event and praised Team B-Human’s efforts in raising awareness on health issues and supporting patients in need. “Wenlock Hospital has a well-equipped dialysis centre, and we provide a full range of treatment options in the children's ward. Our mission is to offer free medical and surgical services to the underprivileged, both in urban and rural areas, along with specialized care,” he said.
Shareef Whitestone, a trustee of Team B-Human, highlighted the group’s commitment to community service, noting that they have sponsored free dialysis for many needy patients at Yenepoya and Kanachur hospitals over the past two years. “Our goal is to assist the economically disadvantaged across all communities. In the future, we also intend to offer financial aid to students from low-income families,” added Asif Deals, the founder of Team B-Human.
The distribution included lunch, blankets, and towels for adult patients, and special kits for young patients containing toys, fruits, biscuits, chocolates, diapers, slippers, and other essentials.
Several hospital staff and officials attended the event, including RMO Dr. Sudhakar T., physicians Dr. Sadananda Poojary and Dr. Abdul Basith, Nursing In-charge Sumanagala, Office Superintendent Tilak U., SDO Avil Clarence Raj, Health Committee Member Shashidhar K. Bajal, and ARS Member Prabhakar Amin. Representing Team B-Human were members Imthiyaz Z. M., Abbas Uchil, Imran Hasan, Nazeer Ullal, Iqbal Bantwal, Ahnaf Deals, Basheer, Azeez, Faiz, and Health In-charge Haneef Thodar.
