A quarrel with a roommate spiralled into violence and ended in tragedy for a 30-year-old Indian software professional from Telangana’s Mahabubnagar, who was shot dead by police in the United States earlier this month.
What happened in Santa Clara
On 3 September, Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) officers responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at a shared residence. According to an SCPD statement, they found Mohammed Nizamuddin armed with a knife and pinning down his injured roommate.
“When the officer saw the suspect’s hand holding the knife come down toward the victim, the officer shot four times, striking the suspect with all four of the shots,” the property manager of deceased Mohammed Nizamuddin said. Nizamuddin was rushed to hospital but later died of his injuries.
The victim, who sustained multiple stab wounds to the hands, chest, lung and abdomen, is recovering in hospital and is expected to survive.
What property manager said?
The property manager of the residence, who spoke to Indica on condition of anonymity, said four men, all high-tech workers, were living in the house. Nizamuddin, however, had been unemployed since February 2024 and had reportedly lost his visa status.
“He had been staying here for the last four years,” the manager said. “He had been paying his rent on time, but recently he had had a lot of issues. He was short-tempered and had been a troublemaker. We were in the process of getting him evicted. On September 3, he did something crazy, and the police stopped the criminal and saved everyone here.”
Eyewitness account from neighbour
Praveen Dhir, a community leader living opposite the house, as quoted by Indica, described the scene after the incident.
“I woke up when the police arrived. Around 6:30 a.m., I saw a lot of police cars. Two white men were sitting outside in their underclothes. One had an injury and was later taken away in an ambulance, while the other accompanied the police. There was also another Indian man being questioned by officers,” Dhir said.
He recalled seeing the Indian man in a green T-shirt the night before but not on the morning of the shooting. “When I asked police whether there was something to be concerned about, they told me, ‘not anymore’.”
Dhir described the incident as “quite shocking” for what he called a normally peaceful neighbourhood. “This is a quiet and safe area. I saw so many police for the first time; there were approximately 20 vehicles. At first, I thought it was a major raid.”
Investigation continues
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and SCPD are conducting a joint investigation into the shooting. While police defend the officer’s actions as necessary to protect the victim, Nizamuddin’s death has raised questions and sparked debate among sections of the Indian community abroad.
For his family in Telangana, the priority remains the repatriation of his body, even as the circumstances of his final hours continue to be pieced together.