Praveen Kumar Gampa, a 27-year-old Indian student from Telangana was shot dead by robbers at a store where he used to work part time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin early on Wednesday, according to Indian media reports.
Gampa was a resident of Keshampet in Ranga Reddy district in Telangana. He had gone to the US in 2023 to pursue a Master’s degree in data science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
His family was informed about the incident by some of his friends. Gampa’s father Raghavulu told Indian media that he received a WhatsApp call from his son at 5 am but couldn’t answer it.
“Later in the morning, I saw the missed call and sent him a voice message. However, even after an hour, there was no call back. I then called back his number, but someone else answered. I grew suspicious and ended the call, wondering if something had happened,” he was quoted as saying.
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“When I contacted his friends, they told me they had received information that he had gone to a store for a part-time job, and during a robbery, the robbers opened fire. A bullet hit him and he died,” he added.
The Consulate General of India in Chicago has condoled Gampa’s death. “We are saddened by the untimely death of Praveen Kumar Gampa, a Post-graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Consulate is in contact with Praveen’s family and the University, helping them with all possible support. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers are with his family and friends of the departed,” it posted on X.
In December, 22-year-old Sai Teja, another student from Telangana, was shot dead by armed men at a gas station in Chicago.