Adam Purinton, a white male, killed Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32-year-old engineer from India, because he looked “Iranian.” For his crime, Purinton will spend the rest of his life in jail.
In a Kansas federal court last week, the 53-year-old was sentenced to three consecutive life prison sentences for what federal prosecutors said was a hate crime.
Related Story: Kansas Man Shouts ‘Get Out of My Country’ Before Killing Indian Immigrant
On Feb. 22, 2017, Purinton, approached two Indian men, Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kan. He demanded to know where they were from, calling one a terrorist and shouting, “Get out of my country!”
Two other patrons escorted him out of the bar. But Purinton returned about a half-hour later and fired his semi-automatic pistol at Kuchibhotla and Madasani.
Kuchibhotla, a legal U.S. resident, died of his injuries. Madasani and Ian Grillot, a white male shot by Purinton as he tried to intervene, both survived the attack and were hospitalized with injuries.
“The shooting raised concerns that immigrants were facing more violence after the election of President Donald Trump and prompted officials in India to question whether their citizens were safe in the U.S.,” according to CBS News.
At the sentencing, a prosecutor read a statement from Sunayana Dumala, the widow of Kuchibhotla, according to the Kansas City Star. She wasn’t present, as she said in her statement, that it is “extremely painful for me to witness or face the shooter in person.”
“If you could have kept your anger inside and spoke to my husband softly, Srinu would have been more than happy to share his background and help you understand that not every brown skinned person is suspicious or evil, but kind, smart and contributing to America,” Dumala said in Tuesday’s statement. “Instead, you chose to rage and bully in anger and when you were stopped, you decided to take their lives.”
