UTEP graduate killed in possible hate crime
A University of Texas at El Paso graduate was killed in a possible hate crime Wednesday night in Kansas.
Police said Adam W. Purinton, 51, allegedly opened fire at three men at a bar in the city of Olathe, killing 32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla.
The two other victims survived and suffered injuries.
Kuchibhotla’s LinkedIn account shows he earned a master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics engineering from UTEP in 2007. It also shows he became a teaching and research assistant the same year.
GO FUND ME: Srinu’s Family/Recovery Support
His LinkedIn also shows that Kuchibhotla was an engineer at Garmin, a technology company.
He was originally from India, according to the newspaper the Kansas City Star.
Witnesses said Purinton told the men to “get out of my country” before he shot them, also according to the Kansas City Star.
Nearly six hours after the shooting, Purinton was arrested about 70 miles away at a bar in Missouri.
Purinton was charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. His bond was set at $2 million.
During a news conference Thursday, authorities declined to comment on whether the shooting might be considered a hate crime.
UTEP officials sent ABC-7 the folllowing statement:
“We are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla. He attended UTEP from 2005-2007, during which he earned a MS in Electrical Engineering and worked as a research assistant. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Kuchibhotla’s friends set up a GoFundMe page to bring him back to his family in India.
