Hyderabad: A 27-year-old student from Telangana, Praveen Kumar Gampa, was shot dead in a suspected robbery near his residence in Wisconsin on Wednesday.
Gampa, a postgraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, had moved to the US in 2023 to pursue a degree in data science. He was working part-time at a local store when unidentified attackers reportedly opened fire. His family grew alarmed when a stranger answered his phone after they tried calling him back. Their worst fears were confirmed when friends and US authorities informed them of his tragic death.
His father, Raghavulu, revealed that he had missed a WhatsApp call from Gampa earlier that day. When he called back, an unknown person claimed to have found the phone. Soon after, reports surfaced that Gampa had been shot. His cousin, Arun, told PTI that while some friends reported finding his body with bullet wounds, others suggested he was attacked at a store. The exact details remain unclear.
The Consulate General of India in Chicago expressed condolences and assured full support to the grieving family. “We are saddened by the untimely death of Praveen Kumar Gampa. The Consulate is in contact with his family and university, extending all possible assistance,” it stated in a post on X.
This tragedy comes just months after another Telangana student, 22-year-old Sai Teja, was shot dead at a gas station in Chicago in December. The rising cases of violence against Indian students in the US have sparked concerns among families and authorities
