Mass Shooting In Texas: Indian Amongst Victims

India-West News Desk

ALLEN, TX  – Thatikonda Aishwarya Reddy, 27, of Hyderabad is among those killed in the mass shooting at a mall here on May 7, which saw eight dead and seven others seriously injured.

The community is readying to send the body of the young engineer back to her family in India.  

According to local media reports the 27-year-old was shopping with a friend at the Allen Premium Outlets in the northern suburbs of Dallas when the gunman opened fire. Her friend who also sustained injuries is currently in stable condition at the hospital. The assailant identified as Mauricio Garcia, was later shot dead by a police officer.

Thatikonda was a project manager with a private company in Dallas and lived and worked in McKinney. She had moved to the US from India about five years ago. She was the daughter of Rangareddy district judge T Narsi Reddy. After getting a degree in civil engineering from Osmania University she came to the US to get her graduate degree in construction management from Eastern Michigan University.

Poignant reports from India said the parents were shattered by the news. The victim’s mother Aruna had spoken to her a few hours prior to the shooting and her daughter had told her she was going to the mall with her friend. On hearing of the shooting, Aruna had tried to reach her daughter over the phone but did not get any response.  

In a statement, Allen Premium Outlets, an outdoor shopping center with more than 120 retailers stated, “We are horrified by the senseless tragedy at Allen Premium Outlets and are outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country.”

Brian E Harvey, the chief of police in Allen said at a news conference that the gunman acted alone. A police officer, who was on another assignment at the mall at the time of the shooting, heard gunfire, rushed towards it, and killed the shooter.

Social media users posted a video showing the shooter lying on the ground, dressed in all-black, holding a long rifle, and what appeared to be several rounds of ammo and a tactical vest.