19-year-old Gaurav Chopra kills father, mother, grandmother in a shooting rage in Texas.
An Indian-origin businessman, Sweeta Ram, was killed along with his wife and his wife’s mother in an unexplained shooting rage by their 19-year-old son, Gaurav Chopra, in Alton, Texas. As Gaurav faces justice, the community in Alton and Palmview is grieving over the mindless violence. 56-year-old Sweeta Ram was a known face in the community because of his local business.Palmview mayor Ricardo Villarreal said Ram was like a family, a brother to him. “He was the best,” Villarreal said. “He was a high-spirited, motivating person and always had positive things to say. I never heard him say a negative thing.”“He brought a lot of fun, food, and entertainment to this city,” Villarreal said. “I knew him like a brother more than a friend.”Neighbors and friends said Ram spoke proudly about his wife and children and often hosted get-togethers. They saw the children grow up and can’t accept the tragedy.
Killed parents, grandmother; missed brother: How the mindless tragedy unfolded
On June 16, Tuesday, a 911 call came from a man who claimed that his brother, Gaurav Chopra, had shot and killed their entire family and fled the scene. The brother was also shot at, but it missed. The brother saw the bodies and Chopra at the scene. As Chpra saw him, he fired at the brother and the brother escaped the house.The victims were identified as 56-year-old Sweeta Ram, 46-year-old Kamlesh Rani and 76-year-old Minder Kaur, all from Punjab, India.Ram was still alive when officers arrived, and first aid was immediately administered. He was transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment but later died from his injuries.The arrest of Chopra also involved a dramatic car chase that hospitalized two people as overspeeding Chopra hit their car. A handgun was also found at the crash site.Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra did not disclose any motive for the killings. The family was not known to the police for any previous crime.Gaurav Chopra is a student of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. “UTRGV is aware that a suspect in an off-campus criminal investigation has been identified by law enforcement as a current student. The university is cooperating with law enforcement as appropriate. Because this is an active criminal investigation, questions about the case should be directed to the investigating agency,” the university said in a statement.Chopra was arraigned on charges of capital murder of multiple persons and attempted murder, and bond was not set for those charges. Chopra also faces a charge of evading arrest and had his bond set at $250,000.
