Telangana man shot dead by US police claimed ‘racial discrimination’

Hyderabad: As Santa Clara police launched an investigation into the incident that resulted in Telangana youth Mohammed Nizamuddin's death, details have emerged about his final weeks marked by allegations of racial hatred, discrimination, harassment, torture, wage fraud, wrongful termination, and obstruction of justice.

Two weeks before his death, probably just before the incident Nizamuddin shared a detailed LinkedIn post chronicling his ordeal.

The 32-year-old had been working with IT consulting firm EPAM Systems for Google since 2021, having relocated to California from Virginia.

According to his post, his employer withheld his visa extension in July 2023, terminated his employment, and changed his visa status to B2 in February 2024.

"I decided to raise my voice against all odds. Enough is enough—white supremacy and racist white American mentality must end. The oppression of corporate tyrants must end, and everyone involved must be punished severely," Nizamuddin wrote in what would become his final public statement.

Nizamuddin detailed his harrowing experiences at Google through EPAM Systems stating "I faced significant hostility, an unacceptable work environment, racial discrimination, and racial harassment. Additionally, the company committed salary fraud. I wasn't paid fairly or in accordance with Department of Labor wage levels."

The harassment didn't end with his wrongful termination according to him. "They continued their harassment, discrimination, and intimidating behavior with help from a racist detective and team," he alleged. "Recently, the situation has deteriorated—my food was poisoned, and now I'm being evicted from my residence for fighting against injustice," he said.

Nizamuddin claimed that a detective team had hacked into his financial accounts, suggesting coordinated efforts to silence him.

Supporting his claims, Nizamuddin shared at least 16 documents on LinkedIn, some responding to his company's HR communications, others detailing wages and a timeline of events from January 2022 through June 2024. He repeatedly referenced the "violent atmosphere" at home and "eviction threats" from his property owner.

"Colleagues, employer, client, detective and their community altogether are the main aggressors. They are the trouble makers and oppressors behind the current chaos, not me," he wrote. "It is happening with me today, and it can happen with anyone tomorrow. So I ask the world to do the needful in demanding justice against the oppression and wrong-doings of people involved," he said.

"I totally understand I am no saint, but they need to understand they are no God. I will upload the remainder of the files in another post," Nizamddin said in the post.

Following his employment termination, it is understood Nizamuddin had been desperately searching for work.

On September 3, 2024, at approximately 6:18 AM, Santa Clara Police Department officers responded to a stabbing report at a residence in the 1800 block of Eisenhower Drive. According to police, the caller reported that Nizamuddin had stabbed his roommate.

"SCPD officers arrived, encountered the suspect and were involved in an Officer Involved Shooting," the department stated. "The suspect was transported to a local hospital where they were later pronounced deceased. The victim was transported to a local hospital and is being treated for their injuries," said a statement on September 3, the day of the incident

Three days later, at a September 6 news conference, SCPD revealed additional details. Police said that after arriving following the 911 call, an officer broke down the front door after hearing a commotion inside. The department also released photos from the officer's body camera.

"When the officer saw the suspect's hand holding the knife come down towards the victim, the officer shot four times. Based on our preliminary investigation, we believe the officer's actions prevented further harm and clearly saved at least one life," said SCPD Chief Cory Morgan in the news conference.

Significantly, police revealed this wasn't an isolated incident that SCPD had been called to the same house the previous month for another confrontation between the two roommates.