USA: 21-year-old Indian-origin youth shot dead in Philadelphia

A 21-year-old Indian-originyouthwas shot dead by unknown assailants in Philadelphia, United States on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Jude Chacko and he was shot while returning from work.

The victim's parents migrated to the US almost three decades ago from the Kollam district ofsouthIndia's Kerala.Chacko was reportedly ambushed by two men who shot him when the robbery attempt went wrong.

Philadelphia - an urban hellhole

Major parts ofPhiladelphia have become an urban living hellhole - giving rise to gun crimes.The scale of ‘tranq’ epidemic infesting the streets of Philadelphia was revealed through horrific footage of drug addicts that went viral on social media platforms the last week.

The clips showed the Kensington neighbourhood — regarded as the ‘ground zero’ for the city’s drug crisis —purportedly filled with zombie-like addicts, who can be seen passed out on the streets. The clip was first shared by a user on TokTok, and then on Twitter.

In a statement last month, Philadelphia health officials said that the city has been massively impacted by the epidemic.

“Xylazine has hit Philadelphia particularly hard, causing increased overdose deaths as well as severe wounds that can lead to sepsis and amputation,” the Philadelphia Department of Health and Board of Health said, according to New York Post outlet.

Other Indians killed in gun violence

This is not the first instance when an Indian-origin person has been shot by assailants in the US.In April, a 24-year-old student from Andhra Pradesh was also shot dead at a fuel station. The victim, Saiesh Veera had been working at the petrol station when the unknown assailants shot him.

Earlier in January,23-year-oldDevsish Nandepu was killed afterarmed robbers shot himat Princeton Park in Chicago.Nandepu, alongside his friend, was taking a stroll in the park in the eveningwhen a dark-coloured vehicle approached them. The armed robbers first asked them to surrender their valuables, and then both were shot at.

Chacko's death came on the same day as when a mass shooting incident transpired along the beach boardwalk inHollywood, Florida. The incident leftninepeopleinjured and several others scrambling for cover.

Preliminary investigation suggests that a confrontation between two groups resulted in firing. One suspect has been arrested, while another is still on the large.

The United States has witnessed over 200 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The statistic becomes all the more damning when one realises there have been more mass shootings than days in 2023. The archive tracked more than 647 mass shootings in 2022 while the number stood at 690 in 2021.

(With inputs from agencies)

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