The family members of a 33 year-old Indian-American woman, who was allegedly shot at and killed by her husband last month, are raising money to help prevent gun violence.
Nabaruna Karmakar, an engineer by profession, was found with two gunshot wounds after officers arrived at her home in Morrisville, North Carolina, responding to a 911 call, police said.
Karmakar’s husband Michael Aaron Matthews, who placed the 911 call to report a purported double suicide, was been arrested and charged for shooting and killing his wife at their home on April 14.
Despite the report of a double suicide, Karmakar was the only person hit by gunfire at the scene, and police believe she was murdered, the People reported.
The fundraiser set up by the victim’s family has so far raised close to $10,882.
“We are all deeply saddened by the death of Nabaruna Karmakar, a beautiful girl with a smart mind whose life was claimed by gun violence. Hoping there will be no more victims, Naba’s family is raising money to benefit Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund,” the GoFundMe page read.
Formed in 2013, the non-profit organization advocates for gun violence prevention, according to its website.
Indians working and living in the US have not been spared from the scourge of gun violence, with Aishwarya Thatikonda from Telangana being the latest victim.
The first four months of gun violence in 2023 as of May 1, saw 5,971 deaths, 11,035 injuries, 184 mass shootings and 290 children shot, according to the non-profit Gun Violence Archive.
Prior to her death, Karmakar worked in research at the SAS Institute and earned master’s and doctorate degrees in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University, the People reported.
The motive for the murder is yet to be ascertained with police officials carrying out further investigations into the case.
Matthews appeared before a court on April 17 where the judge announced that he would remain locked up without bond for the time being.
If convicted of the murder, Matthews could face the death penalty or life in prison.
Mortal remains of 27-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda, who was killed in a mass shooting at a mall in the United states on May 6, have been brought home.
The body arrived at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Hyderabad late Wednesday and the last rites will be performed Thursday.
The woman engineer from Hyderabad was among nine persons killed in a mass shooting at a mall near Dallas.
Aishwarya and eight others were killed when a gunman opened fire at Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen near Dallas in Texas State.
Her Indian friend was also injured. A total of seven persons were wounded in the incident.
A resident of Saroornagar area in Hyderabad, Aishwarya was working as project manager in a company called Perfect General Contractors LLC in Texas.
Her father Narsi Reddy works as a judge in Rangareddy district court. The family was planning to leave for the US to bring the mortal remains. However, Telugu Association of North America (TANA) made the arrangements to send the body in coordination with various agencies.
Aishwarya, who obtained a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Osmania University, did her MS in construction management from Eastern Michigan University.
