US mall shooting victim Aishwarya's body to be brought to Hyderabad

Efforts are on to repatriate the mortal remains of the Indian engineer who was killed in a mass shooting at a mall in the United States state of Texas on May 6, the Indian Consulate in Houston said. Aishwarya’s remains will arrive in Hyderabad on the night of May 10, The Times of India reported. The Telugu Association of North America reportedly coordinated with various government agencies to complete the required paperwork and send Aishwarya’s body to India. 

The Consulate had added that two more Indian nationals were injured during the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen near Dallas. Aishwarya Thatikonda, a 27-year-old engineer from Telangana, was among the nine victims.

"Consulate is facilitating completion of requisite formalities with regard to mortal remains of the deceased. Two other Indian nationals have been injured in the tragic shooting incident," the Consulate General of India (CGI) in Houston tweeted on Tuesday, May 9. "We are in constant touch with the local & hospital authorities, relatives of the injured and community leaders. Consulate officials are in Dallas to render all possible assistance," the CGI wrote in an update to its earlier tweet.

UPDATE: Consulate is facilitating completion of requisite formalities with regard to mortal remains of the deceased. Two other Indian nationals have been injured in the tragic shooting incident. We are in constant touch with the local & hospital authorities, relatives of the…

— India in Houston (@cgihou) May 9, 2023

Expressing condolences, the CGI had said on Monday that it is in touch with the family of the deceased as well as the local authorities, and is closely monitoring the situation. "Our officers are on the ground to render all possible assistance. We are closely monitoring the situation," the CGI said.

A resident of Saroor Nagar area in Hyderabad, Aishwarya was working as project manager in a company called Perfect General Contractors LLC in Texas. Her family was in deep shock after receiving the news of her death. Her father Narsi Reddy works as a judge in Rangareddy district court, IANS reported on Monday.

Aishwarya was shopping with a friend when they were shot by gunman Mauricio Garcia, a 33-year-old who had briefly served in the US military before being forced out 15 years ago because of mental health concerns, including difficulty coping with stressful changes, according to reports. He was shot dead by a law enforcement officer who was patrolling the area.

Texas is among the US states with the weakest gun control laws. The majority Republican state has seen some of the worst mass shootings in recent years, including the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde last May, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed.