Indian doctoral student dies two days after being shot in Ohio, investigation on

A 26-year-old Indian student Aaditya Adlakha died on November 11 after succumbing to his injuries from a shooting incident in the US state of Ohio. The incident took place two days prior on November 9 in the Western Hills neighbourhood in Cincinnati city. 

Adlakha, a fourth-year doctoral student in the molecular and developmental biology programme at the University of Cincinnati, was shot dead inside his car, media reports said. On the day of the incident, Cincinnati police found Adlakha’s injured body inside a car that crashed into a wall. 

Following the tragic incident, the Indian student was rushed for treatment at UC Medical Center however unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries two days later on November 11.

Police said that they received the information about the gun shooting via a gunfire locator service named ShotSpotter. The shooting incident was reported to have taken place at around 6:20 am on November 9.  

Cincinnati Police Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said that the incident was reported by drivers who were passing by the area of the incident. The passersby alerted the police about a vehicle that had several bullet holes punctured in it and an injured individual inside. 

There have been no arrests made so far in connection to the incident and the police investigation is still ongoing. 

Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Andrew Filak, 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.” 

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“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 added. 

Adlakha hailed from northern India and is a 2018 Zoology graduate from Ramjas College of the University of Delhi, New Delhi. He also completed his physiology master’s in 2020 from India’s prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

(With inputs from agencies)