At least four people died in the early hours of Friday after a family dispute escalated into a shooting incident in the US state of Georgia.
The suspect, identified as 51-year-old Vijay Kumar, allegedly carried out the attack while three children, including his son, hid inside a closet in their home in Lawrenceville city, Gwinnett Police Department said in a statement.
Kumar allegedly shot his wife, 43-year-old Meemu Dogra, and relatives Gourav Kumar, Nidhi Chander, and Harish Chander.
Also read | Indian among 4 killed in US over family dispute, children found hiding in closet
Who is Vijay Kumar?
The suspect, Vijay Kumar, is originally from Atlanta.
He travelled with his wife, Meemu Dogra, and their 12-year-old son to the home of their relatives - Gourav, Nidhi, and Harish - on Brook Ivy Court.
An argument reportedly broke out between them, which escalated into violence, following which Vijay allegedly shot his wife and three relatives dead.
Vijay has been charged with four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of felony murder, four counts of malice murder, one count of cruelty to children in the first degree, and two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree, according to a report by Fox5 Atlanta.
What led to the shooting?
{{/usCountry}}Vijay has been charged with four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of felony murder, four counts of malice murder, one count of cruelty to children in the first degree, and two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree, according to a report by Fox5 Atlanta.
What led to the shooting?
{{/usCountry}}An argument - described by police as a family dispute - began between the couple at their home in Atlanta and escalated into an altercation after they reached their relatives’ residence.
Their relatives, Gourav, Nidhi, and Harish, lived on Brook Ivy Court with their two children, aged seven and nine.
When the altercation escalated, the three children - including Vijay and Meemu’s 12-year-old son - hid inside a closet to save themselves. The 12-year-old made an SOS call to 911. Police responded to the call around 2.30 am at the 1000 block of Brook Ivy Court.
They rushed to the spot and found four people dead. All had sustained fatal gunshot wounds, the report said.
“At this time, there are no outstanding suspects. The motive remains under investigation but appears to be domestic-related,” local police said in a statement.