Friends of Pruthvi Kandepi, a Fifth Third Bank consultant killed in Thursday's downtown shooting, gathered Sunday to pay their respects in Sharonville.
College friends, all from India and now working in the U.S., told dozens of people at a memorial at the Ramada Plaza they will remember Kandepi for the person he was, not how he died. They pledge to visit the place where their friend was gunned down on the anniversary it happened each year.
They described him as an achiever, a positive person, a movie buff, a nerd, a friend, a brother, a mentor, a cricket fan, a chef and a planner.
Kandepi, an engineer, was such a generous person, they said, that on his birthday this year he donated money to feed 300 people and planned to make that a tradition.
Fifth Third CEO Greg Carmichael said he didn't have the chance to meet the bank contractor but, "This is a tragedy I will never forget."
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley apologized to Kandepi's friends and said, "We must build a better community in his memory."
Kandepi was one of five gunned down September 6, 2018 by Omar Enrique Santa-Perez who walked in the Fifth Third Center lobby at Fountain Square and started shooting. He killed three and injured two before police killed him. Detectives still don't have a motive.
Kandepi's body will be flown back to India for burial. His friends have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family.
