Who was Dasari Gopikrishna, the 32-year-old from Andhra Pradesh killed in US supermarket shooting?

In a heartbreaking incident, Dasari Gopikrishna, a 32-year-old Indian student from Andhra Pradesh, was fatally shot during a mass shooting in Arkansas, United States. The tragic event, which occurred last Friday (21 June) claimed the lives of four individuals and left the community in deep shock.

The mass shooting unfolded when a gunman attempted a robbery and opened fire in a grocery store. The resultant chaos resulted in 14 people being shot, including 11 civilians, two law enforcement officers, and the suspect himself, reported AP.

Gopikrishna’s untimely death has brought to light the increasing number of violent attacks involving Indian expatriates in the country. The Consulate General of India along with Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed condolences on his tragic death.

The grocery store attack

The attack took place at around 11:30 am on 21 June when gunmen identified as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey from New Edinburg went on a rampage and started shooting shoppers at Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, a small city in Arkansas with a population of about 3,200 people.

Videos captured on the phone show Posey in the parking lot aiming a long gun and firing in all directions.

Katrina Doherty, who had been shopping for dinner with her 18-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son - was quoted as saying in a post on X that she first thought she heard something falling but then saw glass shatter and someone drop to the ground.

That’s when she knew shots were being fired.

Not finding an escape route, Doherty along with her kids and two other store workers hurriedly hid in a freezer.

The 39-year-old mother said she heard about nine or ten rounds before making it into the icy shelter.

“We ran in there really fast. We still heard gunshots keep going off,” Doherty was quoted as saying in the post. “It was like slow motion. My daughter was like ‘Mama, pinch me, this can’t be real.’ And I was like, ‘Baby, it’s real,’” she further said.

Roderick Rogers, a member of the city council, said he called the sheriff when employees at his restaurant nearby notified him of the shooting. When he got there, he saw people running for cover in every direction, even one running to the hospital nearby.

“It’s tragic, our hearts are broken,” Col. Mike Hagar, director of State Police and public safety secretary said as he spoke to reporters.

Video posted on social media showed at least one person lying in the parking lot, while another captured several gunshots ringing out. Images showed a slew of bullet holes in the store’s window and spent shell casings strewn throughout the parking lot.

In addition to Gopikrishna, the other victims who lost their lives were Shirley Taylor, 62, Roy Sturgis, 50, Ellen Shrum, 81, and Callie Weems, 23.

According to Arkansas State Police, law enforcement responded and exchanged gunfire with the “lone suspect,”  in which he was injured. He now faces multiple counts of capital murder for his actions, the police statement said.

Who was Dasari Gopikrishna?

The 32-year-old Dasari Gopikrishna hailed from Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh and had only recently gone to the US eight months ago in pursuit of a better livelihood.

He was working at the gas station supermarket when the incident happened. In a CCTV footage, the gunman can be seen entering the store and openly firing at Gopikrishna as he was standing at the billing counter.

He sustained critical injuries during the robbery and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning while undergoing treatment.

Gopikrishna’s family lives in the Yajali area in the Karlapalem district of Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla and was shattered after hearing the news.

He is survived by his wife and a son.

Condolences pour in

On Sunday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the incident and mourned the demise of Gopikrishna.

Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the former chief minister of the YSR Congress Party and a former chief minister of the state, has also expressed shock over his death. He has appealed to the government and the Ministry of External Affairs to support the deceased’s kin unconditionally.

Expressing condolences to Gopikrishna’s family, Consul General D C Manjunath wrote on X, “We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic demise of Indian national Gopi Krishna Dasari in a robbery shooting incident at Pleasant Grove, Dallas, TX, and are in touch with local family members."

The tragic incident has deeply affected the Indian community in the region and surrounding areas. The Consulate, along with support from Indian associations, is providing all possible assistance to facilitate the repatriation of Gopikrishna’s body to India following local formalities, including autopsy and death certificates.

The White House also said President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and his team would continue to keep him updated.

Rising gun violence

Notably, there has been a sharp spike in shooting incidents across the US in recent weeks. Since last Friday, the Gun Violence Archive has recorded at least 21 other mass shootings.

On Saturday, 22 June, one person was killed and seven others injured in a shooting outside the H20 Lounge nightclub in Louisville, Kentucky.

In a similar incident in 2022, a 19-year-old white supremacist killed 10 Black people in a racially motivated attack at a supermarket in Buffalo. This tragic event came a little more than a year after another mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, where 10 people were killed.

These incidents underscore the ongoing crisis of gun violence in the United States, highlighting the urgent need for effective measures to prevent such tragedies.

With input from agencies