The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the police force that operates in the District of Columbia, is denying any deaths. "There were no homicides in Washington DC on 19 January," a Public Information Officer told South First
Published Jan 20, 2025 | 8:59 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 21, 2025 | 11:01 AM
26-year-old Hyderabad native Koyyada Ravi Teja was reportedly shot dead in Washington DC on 19 January
The Koyyada family was devastated on the morning of 20 January, after receiving some grim news. Koyyada Chandramouli, the father of 26-year-old Koyyada 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.
Ravi Teja, a 26-year-old student from #Hyderabad, #Telangana was shot dead by unidentified assailants in #WashingtonDC, #USA. A resident of Chaitanyapuri, he left for America in 2022 to pursue an MBA.
He was searching for work following the completion of his degree when the… pic.twitter.com/dlHxUw1pvK
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) January 20, 2025
His son, 26-year-old 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, he was searching for a job in the States. Just a couple of hours before President-Elect Donald Trump’s swearing-in, he was reportedly shot outside a gas station.
Numerous reports on the issue have suggested that the unknown assailants opened fire at the young graduate, injuring him and leading to his death. However, details beyond that are unclear. 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.
“The death occurred and even Sabitha Indra Reddy went to meet the family and offer condolences,” a Chaitanyapuri Police Station official disclosed. “The father is not meeting anyone or talking, but they seem to be trying to get Ravi Teja’s body back to India for his last rites,” he added.
However, Chaitanyapuri Inspector G Venkateshwara Rao informed South First that the family did not approach the police. “The incident did not occur here, we simply know that it happened to a family in our jurisdiction. We don’t know anything beyond that,” he stated, including that he wasn’t aware where the family received the information from.
The family reportedly received the information from Ravi Teja’s peers.
Furthermore, the news also attracted condemnation from the North American Association of Indian Students. Taking to X, they reported that the police are investigating the case further, exploring all angles, including that of a hate crime.
Hours before the inauguration, Ravi Teja, a 26-year-old student from Hyderabad, India, was tragically shot and killed in Washington, D.C. He had moved to the U.S. in 2022 to pursue his MBA. The circumstances surrounding the shooting are currently under investigation. pic.twitter.com/PpaJ3kQzbP
— North American Association of Indian Students (@NAAISORG) January 20, 2025
The incident reportedly took place on the same day as Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to the capital city to meet Quad Alliance colleagues.
Ravi’s case is not the first. In December 2024, Sai Teja Nukarapu, a 22-year-old Khammam native also died due to a case of gun violence.
However, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the police force that operates in the District of Columbia is denying any deaths. “There were no homicides in Washington DC on 19 January,” a Public Information Officer told South First. “Even if the death was accidental, if it was caused by a shooting, it would count as a homicide. While there were shootings yesterday, there weren’t any related deaths,” they explained.
They further noted that Ravi was not admitted to a hospital either. “There is no record of a Ravi Teja Koyyada across the departments. If he was injured or even there at the scene, the police would record his information. There are very rare instances where we take the wrong name and that’s usually if we’re dealing with the death of a homeless person with no identification,” they said. They asserted that there was no record of him not just on 19 January, but ever in DC.
South First tried talking to Koyyada Chandramouli, however, he was unavailable for comment.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
