SHOOTING SUSPECT A ‘DRUNKEN MESS,’ NEIGHBOUR SAYS

A Kansas man accused of shooting two Indian immigrants and a third man at a bar, in what some believe was a hate crime, was always a drinker but became a “drunken mess” after his father died about 18 months ago, a longtime neighbour said.

Andy Berthelsen said Adam Purinton, pictured, who is charged with murder and attempted murder in Wednesday’s attack, was very close to his father, who died of pancreatic cancer.

He said in the past year, Purinton bounced from one menial job to the next and was sometimes drunk by midmorning. But in the 15 years he’s lived across the street from Purinton, Berthelsen said he’s never heard him make a racist remark or talk politics. “This is someone who’s gone downhill very quickly,” Berthelsen said. “He was a drunken mess.”

Purinton’s mother, Marsha Purinton, told The New York Times that her son “snapped, and this is not his typical self.”

According to witnesses, Purinton yelled “get out of my country” at the two Indian men before he opened fire.