Hyderabad: The father of Sharath Koppu, who was killed on July 6 at a restaurant in Kansas City, has demanded that the CCTV footage of the incident be released by the Kansas city police. Sharath’s father Ram Mohan Koppu said that with the killing of the suspect in the murder of his son in Kansas, what transpired that day would remain a mystery.
Talking to this newspaper, Mr Koppu said, “Some media channels reported that Sharath did not know how to operate the cash registry but I want to ask how one can work at the cash counter if one does not how to operate it? Even if that is true, is it not the responsibility of the store owner to tell my son how to open and close the cash case? Maybe he was killed by the shooter because he could not actually open the cash case and give him the money or maybe the shooter targeted Sharath to scare others. With the killing of the suspect, the answers seem to have died with him.”
Mr Koppu added that the intent of the shooter was not clear; Was it a criminal attack or was it a rcist attack like that on Srinivas Kuchibotla, also in Kansas city, last year. Asked about the news of the killing of the suspect, Mr Koppu says the suspect’s death may give some solace to Sharath mother. He says that he might have felt better if the suspect had been nabbed and interrogated, as then the reason of Sharath’s death would have been clarified.
Mr Koppu said that there should be some intervention and prevention measures taught to NRI students about what they should do when they come across situations of racial attacks or robbery, or what places they shou-ld avoid. “Had my son kn-own how to open the cash registry or had he been told what to do for protection when someone attac-ks, we would not have lost him. I do not want the ignorance of others to cost any life.” he said.
