Pole Chandreshakar was enrolled in a Master’s programme in Data Analytics at the University of North Texas, Dallas, and took up a part-time job at the gas station to support himself.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
A 28-year-old man from Texas has been arrested for the murder of Pole Chandrashekar, a 27-year-old student from Hyderabad, who was fatally shot while working a part-time shift at a gas station in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 3 night.
The suspect, identified as Richard Florez of North Richland Hills, allegedly opened fire on Chandrashekar at around 8:45 p.m. before fleeing the scene, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.
Police said Florez later drove about a mile south, where he got into an altercation with another vehicle owner and fired multiple shots into it. No one was injured in that incident.
Florez was then located at the 8500 block of Meadowbrook Drive, where he crashed his vehicle into a metal gate while attempting to enter a residence. “A gun was also recovered on the scene inside the suspect vehicle. The suspect was taken to a local hospital due to some injuries but is currently in police custody,” said the police in an official press release dated October 4.
Chandrashekar, a resident of LB Nagar in Hyderabad, had completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery in India before moving to the United States to pursue higher studies. He was enrolled in a Master’s programme in Data Analytics at the University of North Texas, Dallas.
According to his professional profile, he had also been working as a Senior Data Analyst at GEICO since August 2024 and took up a part-time job at the gas station to support himself.
Police believe the shooting occurred during a possible robbery attempt. Efforts are under way to complete formalities for bringing back his body to Hyderabad.
Published – October 07, 2025 10:39 am IST
