In a tragic incident in Newcastle, Washington, Indian-origin tech entrepreneur Harshavardhana S Kikkeri (57) allegedly shot and killed his wife Shwetha Panyam (44) and their 14-year-old son on April 24, before taking his own life, police said.
Another son survived as he was not at home during the incident. While authorities have not released the identities of the children, local news footage showed a minor being escorted from the residence by investigators.
Police said the motive behind the act remains unclear and an investigation is ongoing.
Neighbors described the family as friendly but private.
Harshavardhana, originally from KR Pet Taluk in Karnataka’s Mandya district, was the founder and CEO of HoloWorld, a Mysuru-based robotics firm co-founded with his wife in 2017 after returning to India. The company shut down in 2022 during the pandemic, after which the family moved back to the US.
During his career, Harshavardhana had even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pitch the use of robots for border security.