A 25-year-old man of Indian-origin, who was found injured inside a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) after sustaining an apparent gunshot wound to his head, has died, according to authorities in the US state of Maryland. The person identified as Sai Charan Nakka is reported to be 25 years old. He was found injured with an apparent gunshot wound inside a silver Hyundai Tucson SUV, a local news portal reported on Monday, June 20.
About 4:30 am on Monday, Maryland Transportation Authority Police were summoned to a single-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 95 near the Caton Avenue exit. Nakka was immediately rushed to the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Centre, where he was pronounced dead a little later, the report said. The software engineer was working with a company in Baltimore city of Maryland for the last two years.
Baltimore police have launched a homicide investigation following Nakka's death, it added. Additional details about the incident were not immediately clear. His friends in the US informed his family about the incident. His parents and other family members were shocked on receiving the information. The family of Sai Charan in Nalgonda town received the news with shock, with his father N Narasimha and mother Padma remaining inconsolable after hearing about their son's death. Narasimha said he got the information about his son's death on Monday night from his brother, who stays in Hyderabad.
"We did not want to send our son to the US. We wanted him to be here. I had no interest in sending him there and told him not to go. But he insisted and then we allowed him to realise his wish as he was very particular to go to the US. We never imagined that he would be coming back as a dead body", Narasimha, who could not hold back his tears, said.
He also said the US government should not issue gun licenses "indiscriminately" to its citizens which may lead to such incidents. Narasimha said Sai Charan flew to the US in August 2020. After completing his MS course he was working there in Maryland for the past six months. His son had spoken to them last Friday and asked them to send bank account details.
"He had recently bought a new car. We have been told that at the time of the incident he was alone in the vehicle. It seems he had gone for walking," Narasimha said. "We put a message to him on Saturday (asking) How are you Sai. But there was no response. We again sent him message to talk to us. We thought may be due to his work he did not reply," a teary-eyed Padma said. The family have appealed to the Government of India and Telangana government to help bring the body home.
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Gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the US. Guns kill more than 38,000 people and cause nearly 85,000 injuries each year, according to the American Public Health Association.