Hyderabad: The family of the 30-year-old Indian techie who was shot dead by police in California earlier this month alleged that he had faced racial discrimination, according to NDTV.
However, police claimed that Mohammed Nizamuddin, from Mahabubnagar in Telangana was shot after he was found with a knife inside his residence in Santa Clara on September 3; it is reported that he had allegedly stabbed his roommate.
The roommate, who he had allegedly pinned down, is reported to have sustained several injuries following an altercation between them.
Police claimed they arrived at the scene following a 911 call about a stabbing incident in the house.
‘SCPD officers arrived, encountered the suspect, and were involved in an Officer Involved Shooting. The suspect was transported to a local hospital where they were later pronounced deceased. The victim was transported to a local hospital and is being treated for their injuries,’ the statement said.
The statement further added that a joint investigation by Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and the Santa Clara Police Department is underway, which is active and open and ‘we expect to provide an update tomorrow afternoon’.
However, Nizamuddin's family claimed that it was he who had called the police for help.
After pursuing a Masters in Computer Science at a Florida college, he was working at a tech firm in Santa Clara in California.
The family called him a quiet and religious person who had raised complaints against racial harassment, wage fraud and wrongful termination from the job.
Underlining their statement the family pointed to a LinkedIn post by him that said: ‘I have been a victim of racial hatred, racial discrimination, racial harassment, torture, wage-fraud, wrongful termination and obstruction of Justice.’
Mohammed Nizamuddin went on to add: ‘Enough is enough, white supremacy/racist white American mentality has to end.’
Alongside raising allegations of racial discrimination, he claimed poisoning of his food, eviction continued surveillance and intimidation by a detective.
While seeking help to transport his mortal remains home, the family appealed for a thorough probe into the allegations and the circumstances leading to his death. The MEA has not yet responded to the demand.