19-year-old Malayalee Girl Killed When a Stray Bullet Pierced Through the Ceiling of Her Alabama Home
- Parents of Mariam Susan Mathew, who were also sleeping, woke up hearing a noise in the night but went back to sleep as they thought nothing had happened.
A young Indian girl was killed on Nov. 29 in a freak accident in Montgomery, Alabama. Reports in media reports identified the victim as 19-year-old Mariam Susan Mathew. They say the young woman was sleeping at home when a stray bullet pierced through the ceiling and hit her.
While the local news reports do not identify the girl, they note that Montgomery Police launched a death investigation after a woman was killed in a Seaton Boulevard shooting. Capt. Saba Coleman told local media that âofficers and fire medics were called to the 3700 block of Seaton Boulevard about 8:20 a.m.â on Nov. 29 on a report of a shooting, adding that the victim was âpronounced dead on the scene.â
According to reports in the media, Mathew arrived in the U.S. five months ago with her parents and her two brothers from Muscat, Oman, where she was born and raised. She was preparing for further studies here. Her father, Boban Mathew, is originally from Keralaâs Pathanamthitta district.
Reports say that her parents, who were also sleeping, woke up hearing a noise in the night, but went back to sleep as they thought nothing had happened. In the morning, when Mathew did not come out of the room, they went to check on her but found her in a pool of blood in her room.
Citing the police, reports in the Indian media say that the bullet may have come through the ceiling, adding that the tenant staying on the top floor of their residence is suspected to be the assailant. The police are also looking at other angles and an investigation is underway. No arrests have been made yet.
Last month, Sajan Mathews, 56, also from Kerala, was killed when a robber barged into his beauty supply store in Dallas and shot him.