Saiesh Veera GoFundMe raises over $180,000 as Indian clerk killed in Ohio gas station

On Thursday, April 20, 24-year-old gas station clerk Saiesh Veera was killed during an attempted robbery in Franklinton, Ohio. Veera, a native of India, was reportedly in the US on an H1B visa.

As per WBNS, Veera, who was in the country to pursue higher education, was a few weeks out from getting his master's degree in I.T. when he was violently gunned down by an unknown assailant early Thursday morning.

In the wake of his death, a friend of the slain victim launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his body to be shipped back to India, where his mother reportedly resides. The fundraiser has raised more than $180,000 since it was launched on Thursday.

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Saiesh Veera was just about to leave his job as a clerk at the gas station before he was violently gunned down

The fundraiser said that Saiesh Veera was going to quit the clerk job at the Shell gas station, located at 1000 W. Broad St., when he was shot dead on Thursday. A friend of Veera, who set up the crowdfunding initiative, described the slain student as a kind individual who was in the US to make a better life so he could financially help out his family back in India. The fundraiser also described Veera as a great friend who loved playing cricket.

“He came to the USA (the first in his family) like any other middle-class guy with aspirations and uplift his family situation as his father passed away two years ago. He was always willing to help people in all situations and was such a sport on the cricket field. Every person who plays cricket in the Columbus area would know him, he was a brilliant cricketer and a great friend.”

Detailing the incident, Columbus police said that around 12:50 am on Thursday, officers were alerted to a shooting at the Shell gas station, located at 1000 W. Broad St. Upon arrival, they reportedly found a gunshot victim identified as the gas station clerk Saiesh Veera, who was taken to Ohio Health Grant Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Police said the suspect fled before they arrived at the scene. However, Columbus police released an image from the gas station's surveillance cameras of a person they believe to be the suspect and have enlisted the public's help to identify the assailant. In a statement on Twitter, police said:

“Homicide detectives are asking for help to identify this person related to a deadly shooting that occurred on April 20, 2023. Saiesh Veera, 24, was shot and killed at a gas station located in the 1000 block of W. Broad St.”

As per the Columbus Dispatch, anyone with information on the alleged assailant's identity is asked to call detectives at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS.