2017 Olathe, Kansas shooting

2017 Olathe, Kansas shooting
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Location	Austins Bar and Grill Olathe, Kansas, US
Coordinates	38°51′14″N 94°46′52″W / 38.85389°N 94.78111°W / 38.85389; -94.78111Coordinates: 38°51′14″N 94°46′52″W / 38.85389°N 94.78111°W / 38.85389; -94.78111
Date	February 22, 2017 (2017-02-22) 7:15 p.m[1] (CST)
Target	Indian immigrant workers
Attack type	Shooting, hate crime
Weapons	Handgun[2]
Deaths	1
Non-fatal injuries	2
Motive	Racial hatred

On February 22, 2017, Adam Purinton, a white American man shot two Indian men, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, whom he had mistaken for Iranians, at a restaurant in Olathe, Kansas, killing Kuchibhotla. ^[3] The attacker yelled, "get out of my country" and "terrorist" before firing. A third man, Ian Grillot, was wounded after he came to the two men's aid.^[4][5][6] Several hours later a suspect was arrested in Clinton, Missouri.

Incident

According to witness accounts the incident, at Austin's Bar and Grill, began as patrons were watching a basketball game; a man started yelling racial slurs at the victims, asking them whether their "status was legal".^[7] The man had been escorted from the premises after he was confronted by restaurant staff and other guests, but returned later with a gun and began firing.^[8] He reportedly told the two targeted victims – East Indian men who work for Garmin, a technology firm – to "get out of my country" before firing. A 24-year-old white American was shot and injured as he came to the victims' aid.^[9]

The suspect was arrested while drinking at a restaurant bar in Clinton, Missouri, about 82 miles (132 km) away. He had attracted the barman's attention by saying he needed a place to hide because he had just killed two Middle Eastern men.^[10]

The accused

The 51-year-old Purinton, of Olathe, was arrested for the killing. After fleeing the bar, he was pursued by police in the Kansas City area who also went to his home. He eluded them, but was arrested after he was said to have admitted to "killing two Middle Eastern men," (sic) at a bar/restaurant to which he had fled, 82 miles from the scene of the crimes.^[11] Purinton was said to have been a drinker whose alcohol consumption increased and whose behavior rapidly deteriorated after the death of his father, 18 months before the crimes. His mother said he "snapped." Prior to his arrest, he had recently held a series of unskilled jobs including in hardware and liquor stores and as a dishwasher in a pizza parlor. He is a United States Navy veteran, had been an air traffic controller, and previously worked in information technology.^[8][12][13]

Prosecution

The suspect has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.^[14] He was held in the Johnson County jail, with his bond set at $2 million.^[15][16] If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years.^[17] His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for September 18.^[18] He was indicted on June 9, 2017, for a federal hate crime resulting in death, for which the possible punishment is execution.^[19]

Reactions

Sushma Swaraj, India's Foreign minister, said on Twitter that "I am shocked", and she would help the family to bring a victim's body back to Hyderabad.^[16]

Garmin later issued a public statement about the incident: "We’re saddened that two Garmin associates were involved in [the] incident, and we express our condolences to the family and friends of our co-workers involved. Garmin will have grievance counselors on-site and available for its associates today and tomorrow."^[16]

The families of victims initially have blamed the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, for the incident.^[20][21] When asked by reporters whether "rhetoric that the President or—that generally has been out here recently could have contributed in any way", White House press secretary Sean Spicer stated, "I mean, obviously, any loss of life is tragic, but I'm not going to get into, like, that kind of—to suggest that there’s any correlation I think is a bit absurd. So I’m not going to go any further than that.^[22]

The incident was condemned by several American lawmakers and civil rights groups. US Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas posted a statement on Facebook about the shooting, expressing concern for the safety of other immigrants.^[23] Later President Trump, who condemned the attack at the beginning of his address to a joint session of Congress said that "Recent threats ( ... ), as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms".^[24][25]

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a proclamation to honor the three victims of the shooting and declared March 16 as Indian American Appreciation day.^[26][27][14]

Members of India House Houston later raised $100,000 to honor the white American who came to the aid of the victims,^[28][29] He was also honored by the Asian Culture Association for heroism.^[30]

See also

• Anti-Middle Eastern sentiment
• 2016 Minneapolis shooting
• 2017 Portland train attack

References