Officials identify BU student who was shot, killed

BOSTON (WHDH) -- Investigators identified the Boston University graduate student who was shot and killed in the street early Thursday.

Officials said the victim was Kangala Seshadri Rao a 24-year-old graduate student at BU’s School of Management.

He was killed outside of his apartment in Allston. Police said Rao died after he was shot twice just after 2:30 a.m.

Investigators have not identified any suspects in the case and have not said if the shooting was random.

In a statement, the university said “we're truly and deeply saddened by his death. He was extremely well liked and an exceptional student.”

Known by the name Sesh - he was enrolled in the graduate school of management in the highly competitive mathematical finance program. He would have graduated next spring.

Instead, Boston police are trying to figure out why he was shot and killed.

“I woke up, there was police tape everywhere. There was a lot of commotion: cops, crime scene investigators - a lot of people walking by to see what happened,” Matt Bride, who lives near the scene, said.

Those who live in Allston and work there are waiting now for answers from police and wondering whether what happened on their street was a random attack.

“I was asking everyone what was going on,” Sangeeta Jaggi, who works nearby, said. “No one knows.”

There are no plans yet for an on-campus memorial for Rao. The university says it's waiting for direction first from Rao's parents.