(Image source from: news18.com)
An Indian American couple based in Texas was found dead in their home reportedly due to a murder-suicide at an affluent suburb.
Police officers were called to the house in Sugar Land on Monday around 6 a.m.
The couple was identified as 51-year-old Sreenivas Nakirekanti and his wife, 46-year-old Shanti Nakirekanti.
According to police, Shanti was found with a gunshot wound to her head in the driveway of the home at Pendergrass and Sheffield Court, while, Sreenivas was found in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to the chest and a small handgun nearby.
Police said a preliminary investigation indicates Sreenivas shot and killed Shanti and then turned the gun on himself.
According to police, at the time of shooting a 16-year-old girl was asleep in the home. She answered the door for police when they arrived and told them her dad was not coming out of the bedroom.
She was not injured. The daughter is now in the care and custody of friends, Sugar Land city spokesman Doug Adolph said.
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 noted.
Police told local press there was no history of domestic violence. Friends of the couple told local media they had received an email from Sreenivas that day, but police had asked them not to share the content of the note.
Sreenivas was serving as a director at an energy company in Houston and Shanti was a computer programmer.
“He's one of the best friends for a lot of people, and his wife is known to a lot of people here in the community. They're 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 once they complete their investigation,” said a longtime friend at the scene.
The murder-suicide is under investigation.
-Sowmya Sangam
