An Indian was killed and two others were injured on Wednesday night in Kansas after an American man opened fire on them after allegedly yelling “get out of my country” slurs at them. The local police are calling it a case of “possible hate crime”.
While 32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 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.
Five hours after the incident, the local police arrested 51-year-old Adam Purinton for the incident. 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.
Taking cognisance of the situation, the Indian Embassy has sent two senior officials of the Indian Consulate in Houston to Kansas to assist the victims’ families. “Consul Ravindra Joshi and Vice Consul Harpal Singh rushed to Kansas to assist shooting victim. They are on their way and will reach by evening,” the consulate said in a tweet.
Kuchibhotla and Madasani worked in the company’s aviation systems. “We’re saddened that two Garmin associates were involved in last night’s (Wednesday night) incident, and we express our condolences to the family and friends of our co-workers involved. Garmin will have grievance counsellors on-site and available for its associates today and tomorrow,” Garmin said in a statement.
