Indian PhD student, 26, shot dead inside car in US

PTI, Nov 24, 2023, 11:33 AM IST

Washington: A 26-year-old Indian doctoral student died after being shot inside a car in the US state of Ohio, in an incident described by his medical university as “sudden, tragic and senseless”.

Aaditya Adlakha was a fourth-year doctoral student in the molecular and developmental biology programme at the University of Cincinnati Medical School, according to a statement from the medical school, WXIX-TV reported.

Aaditya Adlakha died earlier this month at the UC Medical Center, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

On November 9, Cincinnati Police Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said officers found a man shot inside a vehicle that crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct.

ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, reported there was gunfire in the area around 6:20 am, police said.

Drivers passing by called 911 to report a vehicle that had bullet holes in it with a person inside who had been shot, said Cunningham.

Aaditya Adlakha was transported to UC Medical Center where he was in critical condition and was pronounced dead two days later.

No arrests have been made since the shooting was reported, local media reports said.

“Today, you might have seen news reports of his sudden, tragic and senseless death. Those who knew him, along with fellow students and others who may not have had the fortune to have met Aaditya, may experience a wide variety of reactions, which are understandable and expected,” Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Andrew Filak said.

“He was much-loved, exceedingly kind and humorous, intelligent and sharp, whose research was described as novel and transformative. The focus of his work was to better understand neuroimmune communication and how neuroimmune interactions might contribute to pain and the inflammatory landscape in ulcerative colitis.” Filak was quoted as saying by WLWT.com, a television station in Cincinnati.

Aaditya Adlakha came to Cincinnati from north India to continue his education in medicine. He got his bachelor’s degree in Zoology in 2018 from Ramjas College of the University of Delhi in New Delhi. He received his master’s degree in physiology in 2020 from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, also in New Delhi.

His vehicle was hit multiple times. There were at least three bullet holes visible in the driver’s side window.

“As a college and as Aaditya’s academic home, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and to those who knew him as a friend and colleague,” the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted the medical school as saying.