White House pushes back against allegation that crime was result of anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Alok Madasani, who was shot by a gunman in Oalthe, Kansas, Wednesday told the New York Times that Navy veteran Adam W. Purinton asked him and his colleague Srinivas Kuchibhotla their visa status before shooting them on Wednesday.
Kuchibhotla, 32, who immigrated from Hyderabad, India, died at a local hospital on Wednesday.
Madasani has been released from the hospital.
“He asked us what visa are we currently on and whether we are staying here illegally,” told the paper. “We didn’t react… People do stupid things all the time. This guy took it to the next level.”
Madasani, an engineer who works for Garmin International, said he reported the initial incident to a manager, resulting in the Purinton being thrown out of the bar.
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The Navy veteran would come back and shoot the two. A third patron, Ian Grillot, was also wounded as he tried to intervene.
Purinton reportedly yelled at the victims,“get out of my country” prior to the shooting.
Purinton was arrested in Clinton, Missouri, a few hours later.
In the meantime, the White House pushed back against the accusation that the crime was fueled by the rhetoric against immigrants that President Trump engaged in during the elections and so far in his presidency.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer said it’s too early to attribute any motive behind the killing.