An Indian-American engineer was killed and two others injured after an American man opened fire at them on Wednesday in a Kansas city bar after shouting “get out of my country”.
Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32-year old engineer employed with the Garmin headquarters in Olathe was out with his friend and colleague Alok Madasani when the attacker believed to be an ex-navy serviceman fired shots at them mistaking them for “Middle Easterners”.
Kuchibhotla died at the hospital while Alok also an Indian, sustained bullet injuries. Another identified as Ian Grillot, a white-man who tried to save the Indians was also injured during the shooting incident.
The a 51-year-old shooter, Adam Purinton was charged with murder and attempted murder on Thursday.
Kuchibhotla, originally from Hyderabad was a B Tech in electrical and electronics engineering from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 2005 and attained master’s degree from the University of Texaas, El Paso.
Kuchibholta who was working as an aviation engineer in the Olathe-based technology company is survived by his wife Sunayan Dumala who is also an engineer working in Kansas.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked as software engineer in Rockwell Collins till 2014 before moving to Kansas.
Madasani has a B Tech from Vasavi College of Engineering in 2006 and completed his masters at the University of Missouri Kansas City.
India’s External Affairs Minister Susma Swaraj on Friday expressed shock over the incident and sent condolences to the ‘bereaved family’.
"I am shocked at the shooting incident in Kansas in which Srinivas Kuchibhotla has been killed. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved family,"the minister tweeted.
Kuchibholta is the first casualty of the racial, religious and ethnic discrimination that followed after the US election and the appointment of controversial President Donald Trump after Jews and Muslims residing in US reported surge of attacks on them and their institutions.