Community mourns loss of Seminole County student allegedly shot, killed by mom

OVIEDO, Fla. — Classmates of a Seminole County high school student are in disbelief after learning that the senior was shot and killed by her mother, before the mother turned the gun on herself.

Family members of 17-year-old Chetana Guduru are now helping piece together why, Sujatha Gudury, would open fire on her daughter.

It happened Monday afternoon in the quiet Oviedo community of Waverlee Woods near Broadway Street and Lockwood Blvd.

The daughter’s grandmother, who doesn’t speak English, lives in the home and gave police more information about the shooting through a translator.

WFTV’s Renee Stoll spoke to Chetana’s classmates who were heartbroken to learn the news.

“She was really nice, she was always warm-hearted. She always had a smile on her face,” said Seminole High School student Esmail Miyanji.

Students heard about the incident when it was announced in the auditorium.

“It was very emotional actually, and it was very sad,” student Devonta Barriner said.  “That’s crazy, how could you kill your own child?”

WFTV found out the teenager excelled at school.

This month Chetana was named as a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program for top seniors in the country.

What friends of the girl can’t figure out is why her mother killed her, according to police.

“I didn’t know her mother any way like that, but I didn’t expect that,” Miyanji said. “I mean that’s really tragic the way it happened.”

Oviedo police said Sujatha wrote an email to her brother that said she was going to harm herself and her daughter, but he didn’t read it until later Monday morning.

“When he saw the message he came to check on them and found both of them in the master bedroom suffering from gunshot wounds,” Lt. Mike Beavers of the Oviedo Police Department said.

Police said the mother has been upgraded from critical to stable condition.

The mother’s ex-husband and father of the teenager recently got into town from Atlanta and he is also working with police.

WFTV