An American man accused of fatally shooting an Indian national and wounding another has been indicted on federal hate crime and firearms charges, the Justice Department said Friday.
Adam Purinton, 52, is accused of fatally shooting Srinivas Kuchibhotla and attempting to kill Alok Madasani based on their actual and perceived race, color, religion and national origins.
The alleged hate crime took place in February at a bar in the city of Olathe, where Purinton is also accused of firing at the two men along with a white bar patron, Ian Grillot, who reportedly tried to intervene.
After the shooting, hundreds of people marched and prayed in the Midwestern city, and Indians worldwide expressed shock over the incident in which a white man allegedly screamed racial slurs as he opened fire.
The Justice Department statement said Purinton "committed the offenses after substantial planning and premeditation, attempted to kill more than one person in a single criminal episode, and knowingly created a grave risk of death to others on the scene."
The maximum penalty is death or life in prison. The Justice Department will determine whether to pursue capital punishment at a later date.
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