Aaditya Adlakha, a 26-year-old doctoral student from India, was fatally shot in Cincinnati after a vehicle he was in crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct. Police responded to reports of gunfire picked up by ShotSpotter around 6:20 AM on November 9, 2023; witnesses saw a vehicle with multiple bullet holes and called for help. Adlakha was taken to the UC Medical Center in critical condition and died on November 11, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

Adlakha was a fourth-year doctoral student in the molecular and developmental biology program at the University of Cincinnati, researching neuroimmune communication and its links to conditions such as ulcerative colitis. Peers and faculty described him as kind-hearted and intelligent; the university offered counseling to those affected. No arrests have been announced and police have not said whether he was specifically targeted or an unintended victim. The motive remains unknown and the investigation is ongoing.

If anyone has information about the shooting or remembers seeing a damaged vehicle on the Western Hills Viaduct that morning, please come forward.