The Star Malaysia

Man who intervened said ‘he was glad to risk his life’

-

WASHINGTON: A Kansas man wounded when he intervened in a bar room shooting that killed an Indian engineer and injured another said he was glad he risked his life in an incident US authoritie­s are investigat­ing as a possible hate crime.

Ian Grillot, 24, was struck in the hand and chest at the bar in Olathe, Kansas, when suspect Adam Purinton opened fire on Wednesday evening.

At least one bystander told the Kansas City Star he shouted “get out of my country” before shooting the Indian victims.

Purinton, a 51-year-old white Navy veteran, will make an initial appearance in Johnson County District Court on Monday.

He faces charges of murder and attempted murder.

Grillot, a constructi­on worker, said that he had to step in when the shooting started in the bar crowded with fans watching a University of Kansas basketball game.

“I was more than happy to risk my life to save the lives of others.

“There was families, there was kids inside,” he said in a video released by the University of Kansas Health System, where he is recovering from his wounds.

“I couldn’t stand there, I had to do something. That’s why I acted the way I did.”

The hospital said Grillot was continuing to improve.

“I did get my chest tube out and that feels much better, but it is hard to describe how sore I feel,” he said.

Purinton is accused of killing Srinivas Kuchibhotl­a, 32, and wounding Alok Madasani, also 32 in the shooting in Olathe, a Kansas City suburb.

Both men were engineers with navigation device maker Garmin Ltd.

The Federal Bureau of Investigat­ion is looking at whether the shooting was a hate crime, the official term for crimes motivated by bias or prejudice.

The shooting triggered outrage on Indian social media, where people voiced concern that US President Donald Trump’s “America First” position has fuelled a climate of intoleranc­e.

A White House spokesman said on Friday that any loss of life was tragic, but it would be absurd to link the killing to Trump’s rhetoric.

An online GoFundMe campaign has raised almost US$1.2mil (RM5mil) for the shooting’s victims and families. — Reuters

 ??  ?? Near to her heart: Laura Grillot (right) and her sister Maggie talking about their brother Ian, who was shot trying to stop Purinton. — Reuters
Near to her heart: Laura Grillot (right) and her sister Maggie talking about their brother Ian, who was shot trying to stop Purinton. — Reuters

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Malaysia