A suspect in the killing of 25-year-old Indian student Sharath Koppu in Kansas City in the United States has been killed in an exchange of fire with the police, leaving three undercover officers injured, the authorities said on Monday.
Sharath Koppu was fatally shot in the back on July 6 during a suspected robbery attempt in an eating house where he worked.
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According to Kansas City Star report, on July 15, police officials found the suspect involved in the shooting, but when two undercover officers approached him, he opened fire on them with a rifle and fled, leaving both officers injured.
That encounter touched off a series of gunfights between the suspect, whose name has not been revealed, and police. In all, three officers were injured and the suspect was killed, the report said
The three officers did not undergo any life-threatening injuries, police said.
A surveillance video has been released by homicide detectives of a possible suspect within a day. Soon, police identified the man they called a person of interest.
Two undercover detectives followed the man’s car. “That’s when the engagement took place,” Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith said.
Two officers have been shot by with a rifle subsequently escaping along with a second person in the vehicle, according to police. However, the vehicle and the other individual were shortly found by police.
“We are happy to hear that the suspect was caught and justice has been served to Koppu. On the same lines, we are equally disheartened hearing about the three officers who were shot in pursuit. Our thoughts and prayers are with them for a speedy recovery,” Jagdeesh Subramanian, president of the India Association of Kansas City, said in a statement.
Koppu, from Telangana in order to pursue his master’s degree moved to the U.S. in January and was employed as a software engineer.
By Sowmya Sangam
