US: Hyderabad woman killed in shooting incident in Texas

An Indian-origin woman was one among the nine who were killed by a gunman in Texas in the US on Saturday. She was aged 27.

The victim is identified as Aishwarya Thatikonda. The gun-wielding man opened fire at people outside a mall in Dallas.

Photo Credit: Aishwarya Thatikonda (Photo credit: ANI)

The incident occurred when she was out shopping with her friend at the Allen Premium Outlets in the northern suburbs, local media reported. Her friend was also injured in the incident and she is out of danger.

Thatikonda was a resident of Saroornagar in Hyderabad. She was working as a project manager at a private firm in Dallas. She resided and worked in McKinney, Texas. However, her family stayed in Hyderabad. Going by her LinkedIn profile, she was in Dallas for over two years.

The killed was identified as Mauricio Garcia and was shot dead by a police officer, later.

The Allen Premium Outlets, in a statement, said, "We are horrified by the senseless tragedy at Allen Premium Outlets and are outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country,"

"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," he added.

The gunman acted alone, Brian E Harvey, the chief of police in Allen, Texas, said at a press meet on Saturday night.

According to him, a cop on another assignment heard gunfire and rushed towards the mall. He shot down the killer. The incident occurred around 3:30 pm (local time) at the Allen Premium Outlets, an outdoor shopping centre with more than 120 retailers located about 25 miles north of Dallas, The New York Times reported.

In the clips doing rounds on social media sites, the shooter lying on the ground, dressed in all-black, holding a long rifle, and what appeared to be several rounds of ammo and a tactical vest.

With inputs from agencies.