Kansas man gets life in prison for killing Indian immigrant

A 52-year-old Kansas man will probably spend the rest of his life in prison for killing an Indian immigrant and wounding two others after opening fire last year in a suburban Kansas City bar.

Adam Purinton was sentenced on Friday for the death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in what federal prosecutors have called a hate crime.  The shooting, which took place on February 22, 2017, sparked fears that immigrants were facing more violence after Donald Trump became president of the United States of America.

According to witnesses, Purinton uttered racial slurs at Kuchibhotla and his Indian friend as they enjoyed a drink at Austin’s Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kansas.

“Get out of my country!” yelled Purinton before firing at the men. A third man who tried to intervene was wounded.

Kuchibhotla was working as an aviation systems engineer and programmes manager at GPS maker Garmin when he was killed.

Although none of the victims or their families attended Friday's hearing, Kuchibhotla's widow Sunayana Dumala said in a statement that she wished Purinton had seen beyond her husband's skin colour.

“In the few minutes that you have seen Srinu you built so much hatred for him that you decided he did not deserve to live,” she said. “What harm did he do to you that you grew so much animosity towards him? He was only enjoying a glass of beer with his friend. I wish you had the ability to see beyond my husband’s skin color and the beautiful and kind-hearted person underneath it.”

“We had plans to grow our family and raising kids and were leading normal happy life,” she said. “However, our dreams turned short because of one person.”

“I hope in the years that you must spend in the jail you will one day realize the magnitude of your mistake and work toward your penance,” she said in the statement directed at Purinton.