Richard Florez, 28, was arrested in Texas for allegedly murdering Pole Chandrashekar, 27, at a Fort Worth gas station.
A 28-year-old Texas man was arrested over the murder of Pole Chandrashekar, a student from the LB Nagar area of Hyderabad, on Friday night while working at a Fort Worth gas station in Denton, Texas.
The suspect, identified as Richard Florez from North Richland Hills, allegedly shot Chandrashekar, 27, while he was working a part-time shift, then fled the scene before being apprehended by officers, police said.
After the shooting, Florez fired at another vehicle about a mile away without injuring anyone, and later crashed into a gate while attempting to enter a nearby residence on Meadowbrook Drive, police added.
Florez was arrested shortly afterwards, and the police recovered a firearm from his vehicle.
“They also recovered a gun inside the vehicle at that scene… suspect is currently in the hospital, but he has been booked for the homicide,” officer Brad Perez, a Fort Worth Police spokesperson, was quoted as saying by NBCDFW on Monday.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Pole Chandrashekar’s identity and said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials from Fort Worth and Tarrant County recorded a formal statement, but further investigative details have been delayed due to a local government shutdown.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and the motive behind the shooting has not yet been determined.
The Consulate General of India in Houston said they are in contact with Chandrashekar’s family to assist in repatriating his remains.
Indian community shocked
Several Indian-American community members and students expressed shock at the killing. They also cited the recent spate of violence targeting Indian students in the US.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the repatriation of Chandrashekar's remains to India and to assist his grieving family.
What was Polce Chandrashekar?
Chandrashekar had completed his bachelor of dental surgery in Hyderabad and had gone to the US two years ago for an MS, his brother Damodar told reporters after the incident. He was enrolled in a master's in data analytics at the University of North Texas, Denton.
He completed the degree six months ago and was looking for a job, his brother said. He added that Chandrashekar was working part-time at the gas station to support himself.
The killing of Chandrashekar has brought attention to safety concerns for international students working part-time jobs in the US, especially in roles that may expose them to risks during late hours.
Recent attacks on Indians
In January, Koyyada Ravi Teja, a 26-year-old student from Telangana who was living in Connecticut in America, was allegedly shot dead by unidentified persons, while another man from Ranga Reddy district was found dead with bullet wounds in the US.
In September, a 30-year-old Indian techie was shot dead by the police in California after he allegedly stabbed his roommate with a knife, even as his family alleged racial discrimination and demanded a thorough probe into the circumstances leading to his death.
In a statement, police said Mohammed Nizamuddin, from Mahabubnagar in Telangana, was shot after he was found inside his residence in Santa Clara with a knife on September 3. He was also found pinning down his roommate, who had sustained several injuries.
The police said they were responding to a 911 call about a stabbing incident inside the house. A purported altercation between Nizamuddin and his roommate had escalated, leading to the attack.
Nizamuddin's family, however, said it was him who called the police for help before being shot.
