Indian man Srinivas Kuchibhotla shot dead in Kansas bar while watching basketball game - Know what happened

Kansas: In a frightful incident, an Indian-origin man was killed and another injured on Wednesday night after a former Navy serviceman at a bar in Kansas in the US allegedly opened fire at them, yelling, "get out of my country".

The injured techie was rushed to a hospital. He has now been discharged.

Adam W Purinton, 51, reportedly shot dead Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, and injured Alok Madasani at around 7:15 pm on Wednesday.

Purinton was charged in Johnson County, Kansas with one count of premeditated first degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first degree murder

At least one witness at Austins Bar and Grill has claimed that Purtinton was screaming racial slurs before opening fire as patrons were watching the University of Kansas-TCU basketball game on TV.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, meanwhile, tweeted: "I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas in which Srinivas Kuchibhotla has been killed. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved family."

"I have spoken to Indian Ambassador in US Mr.Navtej Sarna. He informed me that two Indian Embassy officials (Consul RD Joshi and VC H Singh) have rushed to Kansas."

She further vowed to provide "all help and assistance to the bereaved family".

As per officials, the accused mistook the Indians for "Middle Easterners".

The man also shot and injured Ian Grillot, 24, a non-Indian American who is hailed as a hero, as he tried to protect the two during the attack on Wednesday night in Olathe, Kansas State.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has described the attack as a hate crime. But officials had not classified it a hate crime as of Thursday night, saying they were investigating the angle.

Purinton was arrested in Clinton city of neighbouring Missouri state when a bartender reported to police about him, saying that he had killed "two Middle Eastern men", according to local police quoted by The Star.

"It was a tragic and senseless act of violence," Olathe Police chief Steven Menke said.

According to his profile on LinkedIn, Kuchibhotla, 32, graduated from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad in 2005 with an electrical engineering degree.

He received a master`s degree from the University of Texas in El Paso and was working as an aviation programme manager with Garmin, an electronics manufacturer best known for its consumer navigation systems.

The manager at Rockwell Collins, Kuchibhotla`s former employer, Rod Larson, told the Star: "He was very sharp. A top-of-his-class kind of guy. His personality was exceptional."

Madasani, 32, was a graduate of the Vasavi College of Engineering in Hyderabad. He was also a manager at Garmin.

The HAF condemned the attacks, describing the killings as "the first reported bias-motivated fatality in the US after the bitter Presidential Election".

"We call upon the US Department of Justice and local law enforcement to investigate this murder as what it is, a hate crime," Jay Kansara, HAF`s Director of Government Relations, said.

"Anything less will be an injustice to the victims and their families."

Federal officials on Thursday joined local public prosecutor Steve Howe when he charged Purinton with premeditated and attempted murder.

 

According to The Star, federal officials said they were investigating to determine if the attack bias-motivated hate crime.

The Star reported that acting federal prosecutor for Kansas, Tom Beall, said his office would be evaluating the case and "there will probably be more to come later from us".