The American man 51-year-old Adam Purinton, who shot Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla in an apparent hate crime, has reportedly claimed that he thought he was unaware that the two men he shot were Indians and assumed that they were Iranians.
Purinton is a navy veteran and had reportedly told a bartender in Clinton, Missouri, where he was hiding that he killed two Middle Eastern persons, the Kansas City Star said. He has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder and his bond has been set at $2 million.
United States President Donald Trump on March 1 condemned the killing of Srinivas during his first presidential address to the US Congress. US Congress even observed a minute’s silence for Kansas shooting victims.
Taking the case of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla’s killing in Kansas to the next level, the Indian embassy in the United States (US) has issued a demarche—a political initiative—to the US State Department seeking a speedy probe in this matter of ‘hate crime’. Yesterday, the Presidential staff of the White House including the Press Secretary and Communications Director for Trump, Sean Spicer released a statement saying that the President condemned such hateful acts.
The 32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an engineer hailing from India and working at the Garmin headquarters in Olathe, was killed in the shooting; another Indian and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured and is battling for life at a local hospital. A man identified as Ian Grillot was also injured in the shooting.
Last week, , numerous people gathered Kansas City and conducted a peaceful candle march and prayer vigil to celebrate his life. This march was also attended by the friends of Srinivas while the other Indian who sustained injuries, Alok Madasani, in that attack was also present on his crutches. The priests from various religions also conducted the prayer at the Hindu Temple in the city.
