The wife of a man who was killed in the shooting at Austins Bar and Grill said she wonders what the U.S. will do to stop hate crimes against minorities.
Sunayana Dumala spoke at a news conference Friday organized by Garmin, where her husband, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, worked before he was shot to death Wednesday in an attack that witnesses say could have been racially motivated.
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Adam Purinton, of Olathe, is charged with premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder in the attack, which also left two men injured. He has not been charged with a hate crime.
Dumala says she was concerned about shootings in the U.S. and wondered if they should stay in the country, but her husband said "good things happen in America."
Watch Dumala's full statement below:
She also said reports of bias in the country make minorities afraid of being in the country. She says she wants an answer to one question — "Do we belong here?"
Dumala also asked for answers to why someone would target her husband because of the color of his skin and kill him.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the Olathe Police Department investigating the shooting. The FBI is specifically looking into if there was bias or a violation civil rights. That could potentially make this shooting a federal hate crime, but authorities are not calling it a hate crime just yet.
Relatives, co-workers and city leaders also talked about Kuchibhotla’s life and how much they will miss him.
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Cynthia Newsome can be reached at Cynthia.Newsome@kshb.com.
