Washington: An Indian-American couple has been found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in their home in the US state of Texas, police said.
The couple was identified as Sreenivas Nakirekanti, 51, and his wife, Shanti Nakirekanti, 46 and the incident took place at Pendergrass Trail on Monday, KPRC-TV station reported. The police said they were called to the house in Sugar Land at 6 p.m. and upon reaching the scene they found the woman’s body in the driveway of the home. Her husband’s body was found in the bedroom of the house with a gunshot wound in the chest and a small handgun nearby.
A preliminary investigation indicated that Sreenivas Nakirekanti shot and killed his wife Shanti and then turned the gun on himself. The couple’s 16-year-old daughter was home at the time of the shooting but was not injured. Friends said the couple also has a 21-year-old son who attends the University of Texas. “The two fatalities fits the scenario of a murder-suicide. This case is still under investigation,” said the Sugar Land Police Department (SLDP) in a press statement.
“There is no danger to residents and SLPD is not looking for any suspects,” it added. Friends of the couple said many of them received an email from Sreenivas Nakirekanti that day but the police asked them not to share the details of the message. Sreenivas Nakirekanti was a director at an energy company in Houston and his wife was a computer programmer. People close to the couple said they didn’t know of any problems between the two.
The police said there was no history of calls to the home or any information detailing domestic violence between the couple. “He was one of the best friends for a lot of people and his wife was known to a lot of people here in the community. They were also involved in some charitable organizations. We are really shocked. What went on inside, we don’t know, so we’re trying to get more details from the police,” said a long time friend of the couple.