Killer pleads guilty to 'act of evil' for Kansas shooting of two Indian men

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, left, and Alok Madasani.

IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH, but Adam W. Purinton  of Olathe, Kansas, pleaded guilty May 21 in federal court to enhanced charges of committing a hate crime for shooting Indian nationals and the man who tried to chase Purinton.

Although Purinton has already been convicted of murder in the State of Kansas, and sentenced to life in prison, his new plea in federal court speaks to his motive to killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla and wounding Alok Madasani and Ian Grillot, said FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Darrin Jones. 

“By his agreement to today’s (May 21) plea, Purinton acknowledges that his actions were motived by his hatred of the victims’ race, religion, color and national origin.  This type of hatred will never be tolerated," said Jones.

ADAM PURINTON

A few weeks before the shooting, Purinton was sitting by himself in the bar area at Austins Bar & Grill when, coincidentally, Kuchibhotla and Madasani, both Indian/Americans, both tech workers with legal visas, happened to be having a drink on the patio.  According to court documents, upon noticing the two men, Purinton commented to a regular sitting at the bar, “Did you see the terrorists on the patio?”

On Feb. 22, last year, Purinton drove to the bar and grill and sat by himself at a table on the enclosed front patio.  Sitting at the table to his left were Ian Grillot and several other patrons.  Sitting at the table to his right were Kuchibhotla and Madasani.

At 6:40 p.m., Purinton approached Kuchibhotla and Madasani, and demanded to know where they were from and how they entered the country.  Purinton poked Kuchibhotla in the chest, called him a “terrorist” and an epithet disparaging persons of Middle Eastern descent,  and shouted, “Get out of my country!”  Ian Grillot and another patron interceded, told Purinton that he needed to leave, and escorted him out of the bar. 

Purinton drove home and retrieved one of his guns: a Taurus PT111 Millennium Pro nine-mm semi-automatic pistol. To disguise his identity, Purinton changed into a different shirt and grabbed a blue-and-white scarf.

At 7:12 p.m., Purinton returned to the restaurant.  He wrapped the scarf around his face to disguise his identity and exited his truck carrying his semi-automatic pistol.  

Purinton walked over to the enclosed front patio, opened the door, aimed his semi-automatic pistol at the two Indian/Americans, and fired eight rounds—at least four of which struck Kuchibhotla, who died from his injuries, and one of which struck Madasani, who was injured, but survived.  

Hours after the shooting, Purinton stated over the phone to a friend, and later in person to a bartender, that he had just killed some Iranians.

After shooting Kuchibhotla and Madasani, Purinton ran out, and Ian Grillot chased after him.  As Grillot caught up to him, Purinton turned around and shot Grillot, who was injured but survived. 

Purinton faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, which is the sentence that the prosecution and defense are jointly requesting. Sentencing is scheduled for July 2.

“Hate crimes are acts of evil, and the Department of Justice has prioritized their zealous prosecution,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio. “In this case, the defendant embarked on a murderous rampage with clear premeditation to kill on the basis of race, color, religion, and national origin. It was a hate crime, and he is being brought to justice. 

"While we cannot ameliorate the irreparable harm to the victims and their families, we hope that securing this guilty plea brings them some measure of closure," said Panuccio.  "And this prosecution sends a message across the nation: hate crimes will not be tolerated.”

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Shooter who told victims 'Get out of my country,' given life sentence

ADAM PURINTON

ASAM NEWS

ADAM PURINTON, 52, a U.S. Navy veteran who shot at two Indian/American engineers inside a Kansas bar last February, was recently sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, according to Reuters.

Witnesses reported that Purinton shouted, “Get out of my country!” before shooting and killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla. He also shot and injured Kuchibhotla’s friend and coworker, Alok Madasani along with a bystander who tried to stop the attack, Ian Grillot.

The incident sparked international coverage on the rise of hate crimes against minorities following the election of president Donald Trump.

Both victims worked for Garmin; Kuchibhotla was a legal U.S. resident on a work visa.

In addition to being convicted of murder, Purinton is awaiting federal trial for hate crimes and fire arms charges; a U.S. grand jury indicted him in June for shooting the Indian American engineers because of their race, color, religion and national origin.

The victim’s widow, Sunayana Dumala, gave a statement after Friday’s sentencing to CNN affiliate KCTV: 

“Today’s sentencing in the murder of my husband will not bring back my Srinu, but it sends a strong message that hate is never acceptable.... I continue to use what has happened as a platform with the hope of saving others from going through this hell.”

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Widow Of Kansas hate crime victim makes touching plea for American diversity

Sunayana Dumala

THE WIDOW of Srinivas Kuchibhotia, who was shot dead in a Kansas City restaurant as the shooter shouted, "Get out of my country," asked friends and well-wishers to add her plea for tolerance to their New Year resolutions.

Since her husband's death, Sunayana Dumala has been thrust into the public spotlight as  a spokesperson against hate and an advocate on immigration reform.

Eaerlier this year, participating on a panel on hate crimes, she talked about the tremendous love and support she received after her husband's death. “This is what America stands for ... We are one people. We might be different cultures or races or ethnicities, but we should put energy into embracing our differences.”

She called 2017 the worst year in her life in a Facebook posting. Not only did she lose her husband in a hate crime, but she is fighting to keep from being deported.

Following is her Facebook message:

As I sit to begin writing I am finding it difficult to find words and a long pause. Like every other year both me and Srinu welcomed year 2017 with lot of hopes. A year of promises to be with each other and hopefully grow our family by adding new addition. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way because of one man’s ignorance, hate and anger, giving our family an irreparable loss and shattering our dreams. I lost my beloved Srinu the one who is an epitome of love, friendship, and generosity making 2017 one of the worst years of my life.

Though life is not the same and has been filled with constant struggle and pain, I was able to stand up and move forward because of a lot of people’s support and prayers. Family and friends who stood by me in one of darkest phases of life and helping me recuperate from the loss. Mom and Dad especially who thought their responsibilities were done with their daughter having a great companion, are now again forced to become parents to take of their daughter. Thank you for everything amma and dadda, there were many days and nights I would just confine myself to a room, but you still stood by me as I am adjusting to my new life. A special mention to Intouch Solutions, Garmin International, and to a larger community for your constant support. You are the ones that are still giving me the hope that there is still kindness in this society.

Srinu you are very dearly missed by everyone and nothing can replace your natural aura and charisma that made you special. But it is your positive attitude that is driving us forward and it is with same positivity I welcome year 2018 with the hope that we spread the message of love and empathy.

I am committed in my mission of spreading the message and to save others going through same pain. I need all your support too, so I urge all my friends and well-wishers to add one more resolution to your 2018 list and that is too take some time to understand and embrace diversity in race, culture and religion. It is in our hands to make our society safe and secure for our future generations and create a fearless world. Please, make this as one of your priorities and work towards it as even though we know life is uncertain we are never prepared for that uncertainty. You can also share your ideas and suggestions in the comments section.

Sunuyana Dumala and her late husband, Srinivas Kuchibhotias.

She says that almost immediately “The same night I lost Srinivas, I knew,” Dumala said in a call from Kansas this week, where she has since returned to work as a database developer.

Though the Kuchibhotias had been waiting for permanent residency for seven years, she was dependent on her husband’s H-1B visa to stay in the U.S. When he was killed, her immigration status was lost and she became vulnerable to deportation.

After her husband's funeral, the company that she works for applied for the H-1B visa for her. For the time being, she’s on a 12-month work authorization while she waits for her visa to be approved.

The U.S. allots 120,000 job H-1B visas each year, but no country can receive more than 7 percent of the prized visas.

So, even if she does get the visa, she would have to get to the back of the line for workers from India, a wait that could be decades since India iuses its full quota of skills-based visas every year.

Ddumala's congressman spoke up for her visa application, “We are not going to deport the widow of the victim of a hate crime,” said Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kansas, in The Kansas City Star.

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Saying goodbye to AAPI personalities who died in 2017

Eddie Kamae

SOME NOTABLE deaths occurred in 2017. Some well known, but most remained under the radar, to most of America.Each - in their own way - had an impact on the AAPI community. We give them a final aloha.

Eddie Kamae, Singer, composer and legend. He was the founder of The Sons of Hawaii, which sought to emphasize the working-class origins of "real" Hawaiian music. He was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. Kamae died in Honolulu at age 89.

Srinivas Kuchibhotia

Srinivas Kuchibhotla made headlines earlier this year when he was shot and killed in Kansas by a man who screamed at him to "get out of [his] country." His widow, Dumala, has been outspoken against racial bigotry and violence and on immigration. Kuchibhotla was 32 when he was killed.

Alex Tizon, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist taught journalism as an assistant professor since 2011 at the University of Oregon. His last article published posthumously, was controversial because he confessed that his family had kept a Filipina as a servant/slave for most of his life. He was 57 when he died March 23.

Fresh Kid Ice

Aaron Lee used the pen name "Arun Likhati" to write his blog Angry Asian Buddhist. Lee's online persona wasn't always angry, though. He sensed a tension Asian/American Buddhists and white Buddhists, which make up the majority of the faith in the U.S. . Lee died on Oct. 21 at age 34.

Christopher Wong Won is better known as rapper Fresh Kid Ice. He co-founded of the rap group 2 Live Crew. Won later left the group to form his own label — Chinaman Records. He died in July at age 53.

Mayor Ed Lee

Wood Moy, trailblazing Asian/American acto ris best known for his iconic role as Jo in Wayne Wang’s classic 1982 film Chan is Missing. Moy died Nov. 8 at the age of 99.

Ed Lee, the first Asian/American mayor of San Francisco was a civil rights and affordable housing advocate. As mayor, he declared San Francisco as a "sanctuary" city,.

He was 65 when he died last month in San Francisco.

March Fong Eu, the first Asian/American woman to hold an elected constitutional statewide office in Calfiornia died at the age of 95.
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FBI labels Kansas shooting a hate crime; Trump (finally) denounces attack

Mourners in India marched prior to the funeral vigil of Srinivas Kuchobhotia.

BEFORE President Trump's first State of the Union Address, the FBI said the attack in Olathe, Kansas that killed Srinivas Kuchobhotla and wounded two others were "an act of racially motivated hatred," which could lead to potential federal charges down the line.

“Based upon the initial investigative activity, the FBI, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, is investigating this incident as a hate crime,” an FBI spokeswoman said in a statement. “The FBI will continue to work jointly with Olathe Police Department and our state and local partners regarding this ongoing investigation.”

Later in the day, after waiting so long to denounce hate acts, President Trump finally mentioned the incident in his first SOU. "Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, 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 very ugly forms," said Trump.

RELATED: Two men from India shot; one killed

That was in contrast to a day earlier when White House press secretary Sean Spicer responded to a question about the Kansas shooting. “Obviously, any loss of life is tragic, but I’m not going to get into, like, to suggest that there’s any correlation I think is a bit absurd. So I’m not going to go any further than that,” Spicer told reporters.

The shooting suspect, 51-year old Adam Purinton, allegedly told two Indian/American men to "get out of my country" before firing the shots that literally were heard around the world. The incident is being compared to the 1982 beating death of Vincent Chin, who autoworkers mistakenly thought was Japanese, who they blamed for the struggling auto industry.

Kuchibhotla's body was brought home late on Monday night to his hometown of Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana state, and cremated on Tuesday.

"I had asked him to return to India if he was feeling insecure there. But he used to say he was safe and secure," said the victim's mother Parvatha Vardhini, after the funeral to AlJazeera.

Vardhini said she would not allow her younger son, also employed in the US, to return to the country. "My son had gone there in search of a better future. What crime did he commit?"

The deceased engineer's father, Madhusudhan Rao, was more pragmatic. "Now I want the US government to take care of the security of our Indians who are working there," he said. 

The Indian/Americans in and around Olathe and the Kansas City region reacted with a mix of outrage and sadness and said they were taking extra precautions when out in the public.

“This President now has blood on his hands., said Shekar Narasimhan, a Democratic strategist. "He has incited and created the environment where hate crimes are emboldened. All those of colour have something to fear now for our children and theirs. I pray we do not have a hot summer in the US as we have no moral leadership left capable of quelling violence if it erupts,” he told the Hindustan Times.

Alok Madasani, 32, of Overland Park, Kan., who was injured, was released from the hospital on Thursday, a day after the attack. Both men worked for Garmin, the technology firm.

Ian Grillot, who had tried to stop the shooter.was also wounded in the shooting. Grillot’s bravery made him a hero in the community. “We salute 24-year-old Ian Grillot, who is a hero in the great American tradition but whose actions should not remain unsung," said Narasimhan, "Thank you Ian, and we know there are many more like you.”

Two men from India shot in apparent hate attack; one killed

Shooting victims Alok Madasani, left, and Srinivas Kuchibhotia.

TWO ENGINEERS from India were shot in a Kansas bar Wednesday night (Feb. 22) after a man who mistook them as Middle Eastern, allegedly told them to "get out of my country."

One man died, the second man was wounded and a third bar patron was wounded when he confronted the suspected shooter, Adam W. Purinton, 51

The body of the man who was slain, Srinivas Kuchibhotia, will be transported to the city of Hyderabad, India, where his family lives, said Sushma Swararaj, India's external affairs minister.

Alok Madasani, 32, of Overland Park, was treated for his wounds and released from the hospital. Another bar patron, 24-year-old Ian Grillot, remained in the hospital while he recovers.

The two men from India were both engineers on the aviation systems team at the technology company Garmin.

According to witnesses, Madasani and Kuchibhotia were drinking in Austins Bar & Grill in Olathe, Kansas, when Puritan began harassing them. Puriton's actions were so bad that he reportedly was kicked out of the bar. Upon his return he opened fire. 

Purinton fled the bar but appeared at another bar In Clinton, Mo. later in the evening. He asked the bartender for a place to hide because he had just shot two Middle Eastern men. The bartender called police and Purinton was arrested.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe announced in a press conference Thursday that Purinton will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

He was joined by federal law enforcement officials who said that they are investigating in conjunction with Olathe police to determine if the shooting was a bias-motivated hate crime in violation of the victims’ civil rights.

A GoFundMe page set up for the victims identified the man who was killed as Srinivas Kuchibhotla. According to the page, which was set up by a friend, the shooter had been drunk and "hurling racial slurs" before the attack. By Friday (Feb. 24) morning, the page had raised $260,000

"Srini was the kindest person you would meet, full of love, care and compassion for everyone," the page reads. "He never uttered a word of hatred, a simple gossip, or a careless comment. He was brilliant, well-mannered and simply an outstanding human being. His wife, Sunayana, and his family are now faced with incredible grief and a multitude of expenses."

The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Thursday called for prosecutors to file hate crime charges against Purinton at both the state and federal level.

“Because of the alleged bias motive for this deadly attack, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to consider filing hate crime charges in order to send a strong message that violence targeting religious or ethnic minorities will not be tolerated,” said CAIR-Kansas Board Chair Moussa Elbayoumy.

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Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe announced the charges against Purinton during a press conference at Olathe police headquarters.

He was joined by federal law enforcement officials who said that they are investigating in conjunction with Olathe police to determine if the shooting was a bias-motivated hate crime in violation of the victims’ civil rights.

At least one witness reportedly heard the man yell “get out of my country” shortly before shooting Kuchibhotla and Madasani. The man fled on foot. A manhunt ensued. Five hours later, Purinton reportedly told a bartender at a bar in an Applebee’s in Clinton, Mo., that he needed a place to hide out because he had just killed two Middle Eastern men, The Star has learned.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article134459444.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article134459444.html#storylink=cpy