An Indian-origin former engineering leader at Google was shot dead and her son critically injured following a domestic dispute at their home in Cobb County, Georgia. The shooting took place at the couple's residence in Cobb County on Tuesday night, according to Fox News. The husband has been arrested and charged with felony, murder.
The victim, 57-year-old Sheetal Wrzesien, was a senior engineering manager at Google with more than two decades of experience in the global technology sector. According to News18, police responded to reports of a shooting at the family's residence on Laurel Creek Trail near Smyrna shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Emergency responders found the couple's 23-year-old son, Jason Wrzesien, outside the house with critical gunshot injuries. Inside the residence, officers discovered Sheetal Wrzesien, who was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering multiple ballistic injuries, the report said.
US police arrested Sheetal Wrzesien's husband, 56-year-old Kirk B. Wrzesien, at the residence without incident. He is currently being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
"I've seen him doing yard work. Really nice guy. Very social neighbour," neighbour Peter Lee told Atlanta News First. "It's a terrible tragedy," he added.
Husband faces multiple criminal charges
The Cobb County Police Department said the shooting stemmed from an escalating domestic confrontation within the household, News18 reported.
According to court documents, Kirk Wrzesien faces five felony charges, including one count of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon relating to the attacks on his wife and son, and two counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Jason Wrzesien was reportedly rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. His current medical condition has not been publicly updated by health authorities.
All about Indian-origin ex-Google techie Sheetal Wrzesien
Sheetal Wrzesien graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1994, according to her LinkedIn profile. At the time of her death, Sheetal was working as Senior Director at GoTo Foods.
Sheetal had worked as Google as Engineering and Operations Lead for Google’s best-in-class Data Governance, Content Management (CMS), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems.
After a brief stint at the Aspen Institute Sheetal had rejoined Google as their Marketing Technology Advisor, in the Android division.
she led large-scale mobile and e-commerce digital transformation projects for several major American retail companies, including The Home Depot.
Sheetal Wrzesien also served on the academic advisory board of Georgia Tech's College of Computing and was widely recognised for mentoring young professionals and encouraging women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Sheetal had spent her early years across England, India and Ghana before settling in the United States, where she became a respected figure in Atlanta's technology community.
US authorities have confirmed that the investigation remains focused on what they described as a domestic incident within the family. No additional suspects are being sought, while investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting.
