Devasish Nandepu, a 23-year-old graduate student from India, was fatally shot during an armed robbery on January 22, 2023, in the 8400 block of South Holland Avenue on Chicago's South Side. Nandepu and his two roommates, all of whom were new to Chicago and had met only a few weeks earlier, were walking through the parking lot of a Walmart after taking a bus to run errands. Around 6:55 PM, a stolen Kia Forte pulled up, and two masked individuals jumped out, demanding the men's cash and phones.
Despite the victims complying and handing over their belongings, which totaled about $6, one of the robbers opened fire, striking Nandepu in the armpit and his 22-year-old roommate in the chest.
Nandepu was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was later pronounced dead at around 4 AM on January 23, 2023. His roommate, who was also shot, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and listed in critical condition but eventually recovered from his injuries and returned to India. The third roommate, Lakshman Gogada, was physically unharmed but remained traumatized by the incident and has since considered leaving Chicago due to safety concerns.
The incident led to the arrest of two 14-year-old boys. The first 14-year-old was arrested on March 2023 in the 10700 block of South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and was charged with first-degree murder, murder/forcible felony, and armed robbery with a firearm. The second 14-year-old was arrested later in the 1200 block of West 83rd Street and faced charges including first-degree murder, murder with strong probability of death, murder/forcible felony, armed robbery with a firearm, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
Nandepu had recently enrolled in computer science classes at Governors State University and had aspirations to work for a large Silicon Valley company. His family traveled to the United States to retrieve his body following the incident. The case highlights the ongoing concerns about public safety and gun violence in Chicago, which has seen a series of violent incidents in recent times.
