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On Wednesday, Adam Purinton, a white resident of Olathe, Kansas harassed and shot Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, two Indian engineers, at Austin’s Bar and Grill, killing Kuchibhotla and injuring Madasani. Purinton allegedly yelled “get out of my country,” leaving many to speculate that this was a racially motivated killing.
New information has be uncovered that also lends further proof that this was indeed a hate crime, with ABC reporting that Purinton strangely bragged to a bartender that he had shot “Iranians.” According to reports, he drove 70 miles to an Applebees in Clinton, Missouri, and told the bartender, Sam Suida, that he had done something “really bad.” Suida told 911:
“He asked if he could stay with me and my husband, and he wouldn’t tell me what he did. I kept asking him, and he said that he would tell me if I agreed to let him stay with me. Well, I finally got him to tell me and he said, like, that he shot and killed two Iranian people in Olathe….”
A vigil was held for Kuchibhotla on Sunday night at he Ball Conference Center in Olathe, with Madasani in attendance. He addressed the crowd, saying:
“The main reason why I am here is that’s what my best friend, Srinivas, would have done. He would have been here for me… I wish it was a dream.
[This shooting is] an isolated incident that doesn’t reflect the true spirit of Kansas, the Midwest and the United States.”
The investigation is still unfolding, and new information is sure to come to light.
(Via ABC)