June 11 (UPI) — A Kansas man accused of killing one Indian national and attempting to kill another in a bar in Olathe, Kansas, now faces federal hate crime charges.
Adam W. Purinton, 52, already faces a count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in Johnson County. Now the Olathe man can receive the death penalty through proceedings in federal court.
A news release from the U.S. Justice Department accuses Purinton of killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla and trying to kill Alok Madasani, both of India, because of their “actual and perceived race, color, religion and national origin.”
The release, published Friday, said Purinton carried out the attacks after “substantial planning and premeditation.”
Witnesses have said Purinton yelled slurs at Kuchibhotla and Madasani at an Olathe bar on Feb. 22. Both men were engineers from India and worked at the nearby headquarters for technology company Garmin.
According to Johnson County court documents obtained by the Kansas City Star, Purinton was kicked out of the bar, came back about 30 minutes later with a gun and opened fire — shooting the two men and another man, Ian Grillot, who intervened.
He was arrested hours later in Missouri.
Purinton also faces one federal count of violating firearms law. U.S. attorneys haven’t decided whether they will pursue the death penalty.
