News made rounds on Monday that the 26-year-old from Hyderabad was shot dead in Washington DC. However, the Consulate corrected this, stating that he died in New Haven, Connecticut. South First had earlier reported that police in Washington had clarified that no deaths had happened in their jurisdiction.
Published Jan 21, 2025 | 11:01 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 21, 2025 | 11:04 AM
26-year-old Hyderabad native Koyyada Ravi Teja was reportedly shot dead in Washington DC on 19 January
The Consulate General of India in New York on Monday, 20 January, confirmed the death of Telangana native Koyyada Ravi Teja in the US following a shooting incident. The unfortunate incident took place on Connecticut and not Washington DC as several reports suggested on Monday.
In a post on X, the Consulate stated that they were currently in touch with his parents for the repatriation of his mortal remains to India.
News made rounds on Monday that the 26-year-old from Hyderabad was shot dead in Washington DC. However, the Consulate corrected this, stating that he died in New Haven, Connecticut.
Reports from the New Haven Police suggest that Ravi Teja was working as a delivery driver for a Chinese restaurant and was delivering food when he was killed. Furthermore, his car was stolen and abandoned.
“On 19 January 2025, at approximately 3:58 pm, New Haven police officers responded to 911 calls reporting a person down in the roadway in the area of Shepard Street and Goodrich Street. Upon their arrival, officers located the victim, Raviteja Koyyada, a 26-year-old from Hamden, unresponsive with a gunshot wound,” New Haven police said.
He was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Detectives determined that Koyyada was a delivery driver for a Chinese food restaurant and was shot while making a delivery to a house on Shepard Street. His car was also stolen but located a short time later parked and unoccupied nearby,” they added.
The police have not announced any arrests in the case. They are also calling on witnesses to come forward and assist with the investigation.
Ravi Teja was in the US to pursue his master’s degree. Leaving Hyderabad in 2022, where he resided with his family in Chaitanyapuri’s RK Puram.
His family said he was searching for a job in the US. Just a couple of hours before President-Elect Donald Trump’s swearing-in, he was reportedly shot outside a gas station.
The family reportedly received the information from Ravi Teja’s peers.
Koyyada Chandramouli, the father of Ravi Teja was informed that his son was shot dead in Washington DC. Wailing inconsolably, he told the media that he couldn’t talk about it. “Something like this should never happen to a father,” he exclaimed in tears.
The news of his son’s death has put Chandramouli in shambles. “What did I send him there for? How is he returning?” he questioned, struggling to speak to the media.
(With inputs from Saicharan Sana.)
