Kamal Ghorui
An early Friday morning at a household in Georgia, US, saw a heated argument between an Indian-origin couple that escalated into a deadly shooting. The husband, Vijay Kumar, allegedly killed his wife and three other relatives, while the three children present at the residence, hid in a closet. The children reportedly heard their father arguing, and one of them called 911 as shots rang out.Gwinnett County police responded to the emergency call and arrived at the home, where they found four adults fatally shot. The children were physically unharmed. Police confirmed that the incident was domestic in nature.According to Fox5 Atlanta, Vijay Kumar, 51, has been taken into custody and charged with four counts of aggravated assault and four counts of felony murder.In addition to these charges, authorities have also invoked four counts of malice murder, one count of first-degree cruelty to children, and two counts of third-degree cruelty to children.Police identification states that the victims are Kumar’s wife, Meenu Dogra, 43, of Atlanta, and Gourav Cumar, 33, Nidhi Chander, 37, and Harish Chander, 38, all residents of Lawrenceville.According to investigators, an argument broke out between Dogra and Kumar at their home in Atlanta, after which they travelled to a residence on Brook Ivy Court with their 12-year-old child. Gourav Cumar, Nidhi Chander and Harish Chander, relatives of Dogra and Kumar, lived at the Brook Ivy Court home, where the incident took place, along with two juveniles aged seven and ten. Following the incident, it was the 12-year-old who called 911.However, investigators have not yet determined what sparked the argument, why the individuals went to the residence, or what led up to the incident.The Consulate General of India in Atlanta expressed grief over the shooting, stating that the alleged shooter has been arrested and that all possible assistance is being extended to the bereaved family.“We are deeply grieved by a tragic shooting incident linked to an alleged family dispute, in which an Indian national was among the victims. The alleged shooter has been arrested, and all possible assistance is being extended to the bereaved family,” the consulate said in a post on X.
