Aishwarya Thatikonda, an engineer of Indian origin, was one of nine individuals killed on Saturday when a gunman opened fire on pedestrians walking through a mall in the Dallas area of the United States, according to the New York Post.
Thatikonda, an Indian national who lived in Saroornagar in Hyderabad and worked as a project manager for a private company in Dallas, immigrated to the US. The 27-year-old was reportedly shopping at the Allen Premium Outlets in the northern suburbs of Dallas with a buddy when a shooter started fire. eventually, a police officer shot and killed the attacker, who was eventually identified as Mauricio Garcia. While her family was in India, she resided and worked in McKinney, Texas, according to the WFAA television station in Texas.
According to a family representative, the Indian-origin girl was with a friend at the outlet mall when the shots rang out. Her friend who also sustained injuries is currently in stable condition at the hospital, the network was cited in the WFAA report.
Thatikonda’s family plans to bring her body back to India, the representative said.
As per her LinkedIn profile, Thatikonda had been working in Dallas for over two years.
In a statement, the Allen Premium Outlets stated: “We are horrified by the senseless tragedy at Allen Premium Outlets and are outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country,” according to The New York Post.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and others affected by this heinous act. We are thankful for the Allen Police Officer’s heroic actions and for the support of all the first responders.”
Brian E Harvey, the chief of police in Allen, Texas, said at a news conference on Saturday night 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.
Around 3:30 pm (local time), a shooting was witnessed at the Allen Premium Outlets, an outdoor shopping centre with more than 120 retailers located about 25 miles north of Dallas, according to The New York Times.
