A 23-year-old Texas man has been arrested over the murder of an Indian student at a Fort Worth gas station on Friday night, leaving the local Indian-American community shocked and fearful.
The suspect allegedly shot Chandrashekar Pole, 28, while he was working a part-time shift, then fled the scene before being apprehended by officers, police said.
The suspect, identified as Richard Florez from North Richland Hills, allegedly shot Chandrashekar at a gas station on Eastchase Parkway. 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. Officers arrested him shortly afterwards and 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’s identity and said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials from Fort Worth and Tarrant County noted that a formal statement and 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.
Several Indian-American community members and students expressed shock at the killing, saying the recent spate of violence targeting Indian students in the US has left them fearful and grieving.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the repatriation of Chandrashekar Pole's remains to India and to assist his grieving family. 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, adding that Chandrashekar was working part-time at the gas station to support himself.
The incident 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.
Past incidents involving Indian students in the US, including shootings and unexplained deaths, have underscored safety concerns and the complexities involved in repatriation.
In January this year, 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 man from Mahabubnagar district died in California after allegedly being shot by police following a scuffle with his roommate.
Various cases have seen Indian consulates actively assisting families, often after lengthy legal and bureaucratic processes.
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