(Left to right) Gunman Adam Purinton, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, and the injured Alok Madasani
By: VARGHESE K. GEORGE
"Get out of my country,” the shooter allegedly shouted before opening fire, killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla"
An Indian engineer was shot dead in what appears to be a hate crime in Olathe city in Kansas, United States, on Wednesday night.
Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32), an aviation engineer at technology company Garmin, was killed, allegedly by Adam Purinton, a 51-year-old Navy veteran. Kuchibhotla and his friend Alok Madasani, from Warangal, were in a bar when Purinto confronted them with racial abuses, according to reports.
Both Indians have been working on H1B visas.
“Get out of my country,” the shooter allegedly shouted before opening fire.
Mr. Madasani, who was injured, is not critical according to a spokesperson of Garmin.
Ian Grillot, a bystander who intervened to save them, was ialso njured in the shooting.
A spokesperson of the Indian embassy said two Indian officials from the consulate in Houston were in Olathe to assist the victims and help the investigation. The FBI is investigating the case from all angles, including the possibility that the crime was motivated by racial hatred, according to an official.
Originally from Hyderabad, Kuchibhotla was a B. Tech in electrical and electronics engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University. He had a master’s degree from the University of Texas El Paso.
Mr. Madasani graduated from Vasavi College of Engineering and came to the U.S as a Master’s student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Both worked at Garmin.
Purinton was arrested from a restaurant some 80 miles away from the scene of the crime, after he allegedly told a bartender he had killed two “Middle Eastern” men.
“We’re saddened that two Garmin associates were involved in [the Feb. 22] incident, and we express our condolences to the family and friends of our co-workers involved,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
“The murder of Kuchibhotla is the first reported bias motivated fatality in the United States after the bitter presidential election,” according to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).
Jay Kansara, HAF Director of Government Relations, said. “We call upon the US Department of Justice and local law enforcement to investigate this murder as what it is, a hate crime. Anything less will be an injustice to the victims and their families.”
According to officials tracking the case and emerging news reports, the shooter was asked by the bar manager to leave the place when he started racial slurs against the Indians. He went out, but returned after 15 minutes, with a gun this time.
"During the incident, a third person, an American, who tried to intervene also received injuries," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said.
"Consul Mr. R.D Joshi is rushing from Houston to Kansas to render all possible assistance. Vice Consul, Mr. Harpal Singh is also proceeding from Dallas to Kansas. They will meet the injured and facilitate in bringing the mortal remains of the deceased and will be in touch with local police officials to ascertain more details of the incident and monitor follow up action. They will also meet the community members in Kansas," he said.
A GoFundMe page set up to raise funds for the deceased said: “Srini was the kindest person you would meet, full of love, care and compassion for everyone. He never uttered a word of hatred, a simple gossip, or a careless comment. He was brilliant, well mannered and simply an outstanding human being. His wife Sunayana and his family are now faced with incredible grief and a multitude of expenses.”
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