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| Kansas shooting: Indian victim says attack does not reflect state's 'true spirit' | Kansas shooting: Indian victim says attack does not reflect state's 'true spirit' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| An Indian man who was shot and wounded at a bar in suburban Kansas City last week says he wished the killing of his best friend during the attack had all been a dream, but that the incident, apparently fueled by racism, “doesn’t reflect the true spirit of Kansas”. | An Indian man who was shot and wounded at a bar in suburban Kansas City last week says he wished the killing of his best friend during the attack had all been a dream, but that the incident, apparently fueled by racism, “doesn’t reflect the true spirit of Kansas”. |
| Alok Madasani, 32, addressed a crowd of hundreds during a vigil on Sunday night at the Ball Conference Center in Olathe. He described the fatal shooting last Wednesday of his friend and co-worker, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, as “a senseless crime”, the Kansas City Star reported. | |
| “The main reason why I am here is that’s what my best friend, Srinivas, would have done,” Madasani said. “He would have been here for me.” | “The main reason why I am here is that’s what my best friend, Srinivas, would have done,” Madasani said. “He would have been here for me.” |
| Another patron, Ian Grillot, 24, was also wounded when he tried to intervene in the shooting at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe. | Another patron, Ian Grillot, 24, was also wounded when he tried to intervene in the shooting at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe. |
| A bullet went through Grillot’s right hand and into his chest, just missing a major artery but fracturing a vertebra in his neck. | A bullet went through Grillot’s right hand and into his chest, just missing a major artery but fracturing a vertebra in his neck. |
| “Another half-inch, I could be dead or never walk again,” he said on Thursday from his hospital bed in a video from the University of Kansas Health System. Grillot did not describe what led to the shooting, saying only that he felt compelled to intervene to help others. | “Another half-inch, I could be dead or never walk again,” he said on Thursday from his hospital bed in a video from the University of Kansas Health System. Grillot did not describe what led to the shooting, saying only that he felt compelled to intervene to help others. |
| “I was just doing what anyone should have done for another human being,” he said. | “I was just doing what anyone should have done for another human being,” he said. |
| At the vigil on Sunday, Madasani said: “I wish it was a dream.” | At the vigil on Sunday, Madasani said: “I wish it was a dream.” |
| Adam Purinton, 51, of Olathe, is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. He has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. According to witnesses, Purinton yelled “get out of my country” at the two Indian men before he opened fire. | Adam Purinton, 51, of Olathe, is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. He has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. According to witnesses, Purinton yelled “get out of my country” at the two Indian men before he opened fire. |
| Madasani said in an interview the suspect first asked what visas the two Indian men were on. Both worked for GPS device-maker Garmin in Olathe. | Madasani said in an interview the suspect first asked what visas the two Indian men were on. Both worked for GPS device-maker Garmin in Olathe. |
| Still walking on crutches, Madasani drew applause when he called the shooting “an isolated incident that doesn’t reflect the true spirit of Kansas, the midwest and the United States”. | Still walking on crutches, Madasani drew applause when he called the shooting “an isolated incident that doesn’t reflect the true spirit of Kansas, the midwest and the United States”. |
| In a febrile atmosphere surrounding Donald Trump’s hardline policies on immigration, the shooting has drawn international comment. | In a febrile atmosphere surrounding Donald Trump’s hardline policies on immigration, the shooting has drawn international comment. |
| Madasani recalled how Kuchibhotla, who was also 32, never complained about picking him up and driving him to work for six months. | Madasani recalled how Kuchibhotla, who was also 32, never complained about picking him up and driving him to work for six months. |
| “He waited till I bought a car. That’s the kind of guy he was – is,” Madasani said. | “He waited till I bought a car. That’s the kind of guy he was – is,” Madasani said. |