Four members of an Indian-American family were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds at their home in West Des Moines in United States’ Central Iowa on Saturday, the Hindustan Times reported.
The victims were identified as 44-year-old Chandrasekhar Sunkara and 41-year-old Lavanya Sunkara, and two boys aged 15 years and 10 years, said the West Des Moines Police department. Though the police said the four were shot dead, autopsies are being performed to determine the exact cause of their deaths. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation is investigating the crime along with the West Des Moines police.
Initial inquiries revealed that Sunkara hailed from Tsunduru village of Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, according the Hindustan Times. He went to the United States to pursue higher education and settled there with his family. His parents reportedly live in Hyderabad.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Sunkara had been working for its information technology unit for the past 11 years, AP reported. He was not a sworn officer.
The department said the family had guests – two adults and two children – staying with them at the time of the incident. One of them ran outside to look for help, and called the 911 emergency services with the help of a passerby.
“This tragedy will impact family, friends, co-workers, anyone that knew this family,” said Sergeant Dan Wade. “We will follow through until we have answered as many questions as the evidence allows. We are confident, though, that there is no continuing threat to the community.”
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