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The
shooting drew international attention as part of a wave of
attacks nationwide against ethnic and religious minority groups
following the 2016 election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who
has railed against illegal immigration.
The shooter, Adam Purinton, approached two Indian men, Srinivas
Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, at a bar, demanding to know where
they were from, calling one a terrorist and shouting, "Get out
of my country!" Two other patrons escorted him out of the bar.
Purinton returned about a half-hour later and fired his
semi-automatic pistol at the two men who he had harassed
earlier. As he ran out, he shot another patron, Ian Grillot, who
had chased him.
Kuchibhotla, a legal U.S. resident, died of his injuries.
Madasani and Grillot survived.
"While we cannot ameliorate the irreparable harm to the victims
and their families, we hope that securing this guilty plea
brings them some measure of closure," said Jesse Panuccio, an
acting associate attorney general, in a statement.
Purinton had already pleaded guilty to state charges for murder
and attempted murder, and was sentenced earlier in May to life
in prison. The local prosecutor said at the time that Purinton
will not be eligible for parole for 50 years.
The sentencing is scheduled for July 2, the Justice Department
said, and, despite the Kansas sentence, both federal prosecutors
and the defense are seeking the maximum sentence of life
imprisonment.
(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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