LAWRENCEVILLE, GA (TIP): A 51-year-old man has been charged with multiple counts of murder and assault after police say he shot and killed four relatives, including his wife, during an early-morning shooting at a Lawrenceville home on Friday, an incident that has shaken both the local community and metro Atlanta’s Indian American population.
Lawrenceville police were dispatched to the 1000 block of Brook Ivy Court at around 2:30 a.m. after receiving a report of shots fired. When officers arrived, they discovered four adults dead inside the residence, each with apparent gunshot wounds. Inside the home, police also found three children — ages 7, 10, and 12 — hiding in a closet, unharmed. Authorities said the 12-year-old child, who is the suspect’s son, placed the 911 call that alerted police.
Investigators identified the suspect as Vijay Kumar, 51, who was located a short distance away from the home following the shooting and taken into custody without incident.
The four victims were identified as the suspect’s wife Meenu Dogra, 43, her sister, Nidhi Chander, 37; their brother, Gourav Kumar, 33; and Nidhi Chander’s husband, Harish Chander, 38.
Kumar and Meenu Dogra also have an adult daughter who was not present at the house.
According to investigators, the shooting followed an argument between Kumar and his wife at their own residence earlier. Police said the couple then traveled to the Brook Ivy Court home, where the deadly shooting later took place. Authorities have not disclosed what led to the argument, what occurred once the couple arrived at the relative’s home, or what ultimately triggered the violence.
Kumar now faces a total of 15 felony charges, including four counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault, one count of cruelty to children in the first degree, and two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree. Police said the cruelty-to-children charges stem from the presence of the minors during the shooting. Court records detailing bond, legal representation, or a first court appearance were not immediately available. The incident has sent shockwaves through Lawrenceville and the wider Indian American community in metro Atlanta.
The case remains under active investigation.
The shooting has also renewed conversations within the Indian American community about domestic and family violence. Aparna Bhattacharyya, executive director of Raksha, a Georgia-based nonprofit that supports South Asian survivors of domestic violence, said the tragedy brings attention to the long-term harm such violence causes beyond the immediate loss of life. “This is heartbreaking,” Bhattacharyya said, adding that domestic violence is not a private family matter but a public health crisis that has lasting physical and emotional consequences, particularly for children who witness violence or lose family members as a result. She said communities must confront the issue openly rather than remain silent.
“Thoughts and prayers won’t keep our community safe,” Bhattacharyya said, urging families and friends to seek help and support when warning signs emerge.
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