Adam Purinton, a Kansas City man who had killed an Indian and left two others injured in February, was indicted on hate crime charges, the United States Justice Department said on Friday. A federal grand jury heard the case, in which Purinton had yelled “get out of my country” before shooting at two Indian men, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, in a bar on February 22. A bystander, Ian Grillot, had tried to intervene and was injured as well.
The judgment noted that Purinton had shot Kuchibhotla and Madasani because of their “actual and perceived” race, color, religion and national origin, The Guardian reported. It also said that the crime was premeditated, and that Purinton had violated federal firearms laws.
Sunayna Dumala, Kuchibhotla’s wife, exprssed relief after the hate crime charges were filed against Purinton. “The federal charges brought a lot of relief in my heart,” Dumala told Kansas City Star newspaper. “I got to hear what I wanted to hear. I’m glad that things are moving fast.”
After her husband’s death, Dumala had returned to her suburban home in Olathe after Kuchibhotla’s funeral in India. She had asked in a Facebook post “Do we belong?”. Dumala said she was greeted with “piles of letter for support” after her post.
“I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I received from different corners,” Dumala said. “It made us believe we do belong,” she added.
Kuchibhotla had died in hospital soon after the shooting, causing widespread outrage and prompting the Indian government to seek an explanation from the US administration. Puriton, who was originally identified as a middle-aged white male, was tracked down at another bar several hours after the shooting. He reportedly told the bartender there that he “needed a place to hide out because he had just killed two Middle Eastern men,” local news agencies said.
The incident had deepened fears that immigrants were facing persecution in the US, especially after President Donald Trump’s hate-filled campaign rhetoric about them.
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