Adam Purinton, the man charged in a triple shooting in Kansas that witnesses described as racially motivated, made his first court appearance on Monday.
Purinton appeared in court via closed-circuit television from the Johnson County Jail in Olathe, Kansas, according to a report by the Kansas City Star. The judge appointed the public defender’s office to represent Purinton.
Adam Purinton’s next hearing is March 9 at 11 AM in Div. 8. The 51-year-old asked for a public defender. #olatheshooting pic.twitter.com/HTwIFfabxC
— Andres Gutierrez (@AFGutierrez) February 27, 2017
#OlatheShooting suspect Adam Purinton, 51, wore a anti-suicide smock to his first court appearance Monday at @JoCoKSDistCourt. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/Bps2tpQwsJ
— Andres Gutierrez (@AFGutierrez) February 27, 2017
Purinton, a 51-year-old resident of Olathe, was arrested Thursday in connection with the triple shooting. He was charged later the same day with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree attempted murder.
Purinton allegedly shouted “get out of my country” before opening fire at a bar on Wednesday night.
He later told a bartender at a different location that he had killed two Iranian men, according to recordings of a 911 call the bartender made.
“He said that he shot and killed two Iranian people,” the bartender told the dispatcher. “He made me promise that I wouldn’t call police.”
Two of the victims, Alok Madasani and Srinivas Kuchibhotla, were immigrants from India. The third victim, Ian Grillot, was shot while intervening. All three were transported to area hospitals after the shooting, where Kuchibhotla later died.
At a vigil on Monday, Madasani described the shooting as “an isolated incident” resulting from “rage and malice in an individual’s heart.”
“What happened that night was a senseless crime that took away my best friend,” he said, referring to Kuchibhotla. “I wish it was a dream.”