19-year-old Gaurav Gill, was arrested by the police for the murder of 29-year-old Jasvir Kaur. He also injured a 20-year-old Gagandeep Kaur, who remains in critical condition at University Hospital Newark.
Gaurav Gill, recently arrived in the US, and was living in Kent, a city in Washington State.
The shooting occurred outside a residential building in Carteret, New Jersey on Wednesday morning and cops nabbed the attacker hours after the crime, according to a report by CBS News.
The accused, Gaurav Gill and the woman he injured, Gagandeep Kaur, previously knew each other and had attended an IELTS coaching centre in Punjab’s Nakodar together, a separate report by the Times of India said.
The woman who succumbed to the bullet injuries, Jasvir Kaur, is the cousin of Gagandeep and was hosting her at her home when the incident occurred. Jasvir is from Gorsian, located near Punjab’s Nurmahal. She worked at the Amazon facility in Carteret, New Jersey.
Her husband is a car driver and was out of town during the incident, local news outlet News12 New Jersey said.
Jasvir had moved to the US some five years ago while Gagandeep went to the US on a study visa only recently.
“Our daughter took her in and helped her in every way. Jasvir was asleep when the incident occurred. Gagandeep had an argument with the accused outside the house and called Jasvir for help. When Jasvir intervened, the accused fired seven shots at her face, killing her,” Jasvir’s father, Kewal Singh, was quoted as saying by news agency Times of India.
Kewal Singh said both her daughter and her son-in-law were very supportive of Gagandeep.
Gagandeep and Gaurav Gill arrived in the US only recently and around the same time. Her mother said she is not familiar with Gaurav and is not aware if there were any disputes between them.
Gill faces charges of one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, one count of fourth-degree possession of a high-capacity magazine, and one count of first-degree attempted murder.
Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting or any link between Gill and the victims. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, when a detention hearing will be held.
According to the Times of India, Gill’s father, Charan, resides in Muscat. His mother was hospitalised two days ago upon learning about the incident.