A photo of Raviteja Koyyada included in the family's GoFundMe.
The killing of 26-year-old restaurant delivery driver Raviteja Koyyada has sparked an outcry both locally and in his home country of India.
His family is now raising funds to bring his body home to India in the aftermath of his death.
Someone shot and killed Koyyada on Sunday just before 4 p.m. at the intersection of Shepard and Goodrich in Newhallville. He was in the process of making a food delivery from the Hamden-based Chinese restaurant where he worked.
According to city police spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart, police believe that the shooting came out of a carjacking attempt; Koyyada’s car was stolen, but located nearby shortly after the shooting, according to Bruckhart.
No arrests have so far been made.
Koyyada graduated in 2023 with a computer science masters’ degree from Sacred Heart University, according to a representative of the university. He lived in Hamden. He was originally from the city of Hyderabad, according to the Times of India.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser posted by his sister, Shreya, he moved to the United States to pursue his degree in 2022.
“He was a passionate student, community volunteer, beloved friend, caring brother, caring son and a family treasure! He had an infectious smile and brought joy & inspiration to everyone around him!” Shreya wrote.
The GoFundMe description states that the family is raising money to lessen a financial burden they now face after Koyyada’s death. So far, it has raised over $100,000 with the stated goal of covering funeral and bereavement costs, Koyyada’s student debt and counseling.
On Jan. 20, the Indian consulate in New York tweeted that the office is “in touch with his family and is extending all possible assistance, including repatriation of his mortal remains to India.”
The owner of the Chinese restaurant where Koyyada worked told NBC Connecticut, “My heart is hurting. I don’t know what to say. That’s it.”
A handful of Koyyada’s former customers mourned his loss on social media. On Facebook, Da’Naya Brock wrote that she’d met Koyyada several times over the last two years. “He always had a smile on his face every time he delivered to my home, no matter who came to the door,” she wrote.