Saiesh Veera, a 24-year-old Indian student from Andhra Pradesh, who was pursuing a Master’s degree in the US, was shot dead in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday. He reportedly died of gunshot wounds during a robbery attempt while working at a fuel station there.
“On April 20, 2023, at 12:50 am, Columbus Police officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of W. Broad St. on a reported shooting. Upon arrival, the officers located an adult male victim, identified as Saiesh Veera, M/O/24, suffering from a gunshot wound,” a police notification proclaimed.
INFO: @ColumbusPolice are gathering evidence after someone was killed and another injured near OSU’s campus. We are working to learn more about the victims and if they are students. Several people detained. Police working to find the shooter. Details ahead on @wsyx6 pic.twitter.com/rlC40ARWJf
— Kate Siefert (@KateWSYX6) April 21, 2023
The Columbus Division Police is reviewing CCTV footage from the store and has also shared a photo of the suspect who was seen on CCTV cameras.
HELP US FIND THIS SUSPECT
— Columbus Division of Police (@ColumbusPolice) April 20, 2023
Homicide detectives are asking for help to identify this person related to a deadly shooting that occurred on April 20, 2023. Saiesh Veera, 24, was shot and killed at a gas station located in the 1000 block of W. Broad St.
Tip? ☎ Call 614-645-4730 pic.twitter.com/25mjNtNzY0
At 12:50 a.m. local time, the Columbus Police received a call informing that a Shell petrol station employee had been shot during an attempted robbery at 1000 West Broad Street in Franklinton. After being transported to a hospital in a critical state, the victim passed away and was declared dead at 1.27 am local time. The event is still being investigated, according to the police, who also stated that the family has been notified.
Venkat Nerusu, Saiesh Veera’s roommate remembers him as an enthusiastic cricket player who aspired to work in the IT industry. “Saiesh, he’s like a brother to everyone who plays cricket in Columbus. It is not even believable. Still, after this many hours of going through this, we cannot believe it’s true,” he told ABC6News channel.
“The last thing that we saw is his smiling face, and that’s the only thing that we had in mind. Now tomorrow, when we see his body and see him as a dead person, I don’t know how we are going to react to that, but it is completely shocking,” he added.
Punith Ragupadhi, another roommate and member of the cricket team, unveiled that he discussed the risks of working an overnight shift at the gas station with Saiesh Veera. “He promised me to stop it, and he already told his gas station owner that I’m going to stop this work in two weeks. But, it was too late,” he told the media house.
Saiesh Veera’s friends have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for his body’s transportation to India and to help his mother, who is a widow. In the words of Rohit Yalamanchili, the in charge of an internet fundraising campaign to return Saiesh Veera’s body back to India, the young man was enrolled in a Master’s programme when he was selected for an H-1B visa, only 10 days before he was set to graduate.
He revealed that the deceased student was planning to leave his position as a clerk at the petrol station in a few weeks. He was the first member of his family to immigrate to the country and had high hopes and a desire to better his family after his father passed away two years prior.
“The reason he came to the United States is to uplift his family. I can promise his family that we and all his friends will try to do as much as we can,” remarked Punith Ragupadhi.
“He came to the USA (the first in his family) like any other middle-class guy with aspirations and uplift his family situation as his father passed away two years ago. He was always willing to help people in all situations and was such a sport on the cricket field. Every person who plays cricket in the Columbus area would know him, he was a brilliant cricketer and a great friend,” reads the page.
