A white US Navy veteran has been arrested for allegedly killing Telugu engineer and wounding two others at a crowded sports bar.
Adam Purinton, 51, was taken into custody at a bar in an Applebee's in Clinton, Missouri, after telling an employee he had just shot 'Middle Eastern' men and needed a place to hide.
He was arrested about five hours after police say he opened fire at Austin's Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kansas.
The deadly confrontation began unfolding inside the lounge at around 7.15 pm on Wednesday and later spilled out into the parking lot.
Police say Purinton shot and killed Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an engineer at Garmin, wounded his colleague Alok Madasani.
He then fired at a third man, identified as Ian Grillot, who had tried to intervene.
At least one witness said Purtinton yelled 'get out of my country' and claimed he heard him screaming racial slurs before opening fire, according to Kansas City Star.
The 51-year-old veteran apparently thought Kuchibhotla and Madasani were Middle Eastern, although in reality both men were of Indian decent.
Kuchibhotla died at an area hospital and Alok Madasani and Ian Grillot were hospitalized, the latter suffering from wounds to his hand and shoulder.
Garret Bohnen, a bartender at Austins, confirmed to the Star that Kuchibhotla and Madasani worked at the Olathe-based GPS maker Garmin and would come the bar for a drink once or twice a week.
Kuchibhotla had a Master's degree in electrical and electronics engineering from University of Texas at El Paso and was hired by Garmin International in 2014 to manage the company’s helicopter programs.
