A Kansas man was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison without parole for a February 2017 shooting that killed an immigrant and wounded two…
A Kansas man was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison without parole for a February 2017 shooting that killed an immigrant and wounded two other men.
Adam Purinton, of Olathe, Kan., had faced the death sentence before pleading guilty in May to federal hate crime and firearm charges.
At his plea hearing, Purinton said that he targeted and shot Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, two immigrants, at a suburban Kansas City bar because of their race, color, and national origin, according to the Justice Department.
Before the shooting, Purinton called Kuchibhotla a “terrorist” and shouted “get out of my country!” He left the bar, drove home to retrieve a gun and then returned. He fired eight rounds at Kuchibhotla and Madasani.
Purinton also shot another man, Ian Grillot, who chased him as he fled the scene.
Grillot and Madasani survived, but Kuchibhotla died.
After the shooting, Purinton drove 70 miles to Clinton, Mo., where he confessed to a bartender, according to court records.
Purinton previously pleaded guilty in state court to charges of murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to life in state prison.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said “the crimes at issue in this case are detestable.”
“The defendant acted with clear premeditation in murdering one man, and attempting to murder a second man, simply because of their race, religion, and national origin,” Sessions said in a statement. “As a result, a promising young life has been tragically cut short, and other lives have been filled with suffering.”
