Memorial held for 25-year-old CSU San Bernardino student fatally shot on Thanksgiving

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- A memorial was held Monday in honor of a California State University, San Bernardino student who was shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day.

Abhishek Sudhesh, 25, was expected to graduate with a master's degree in computer science in June 2020. Instead, his family received his degree posthumously during the service.

Sudhesh was found dead near an area motel in the 100 block of South E. Street in San Bernardino, where he sustained a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say he was walking home from his part-time job at the motel during the shooting.

The suspected shooter, 42-year-old Eric Devon Turner, turned himself into authorities the next morning, police said.

A motive for the shooting remains under investigation.

According to Sudhesh's Facebook page, he came to the United States from India last year to pursue his degree.

Family, students and faculty at the university celebrated Sudhesh's life.

CSUSB is expected to announce a scholarship endowment in Sudhesh's memory. His family, in coordination with the university, wanted to create a lasting legacy while also honoring a longstanding tradition of giving back.

"They want the award, the scholarship, to be given on his birthday, which will be 26th of September, because it is their family's tradition to go and help others," a university official said.

The family is also pushing for the university to require international students to live on campus and to create more work opportunities. They also urged lawmakers to curb the gun violence in the U.S.