Kansas community tries to heal from shooting; bar to reopen
(AP) — In the middle of a crowded bar, Adam Purinton yelled at two Indian men to "get out of my country," witnesses said, then opened fire in an attack that killed one of the men and wounded the other, as well as a third man who tried to help.
In India, the father of one of the wounded men called Wednesday's attack in the Kansas City suburbs a hate crime, but authorities on Friday declined to discuss a motive as they investigated.
The shooting swiftly stoked fears about the treatment of immigrants, who feel targeted by President Donald Trump's promises to ban certain travelers, build a wall along the Mexico border and put "America first."
Though she did not mention Trump by name, she directed anger at the U.S. government, asking what officials would do to stop hate crimes.
Spokeswoman Bridget Patton said the federal agency's role is to help determine if a civil rights violation occurred.
Purinton, who is being held on $2 million bond, was moved Friday from Missouri to Kansas.
Because he has not yet appeared in court, he did not have an attorney formally assigned to his case.
"Another half inch, I could be dead or never walk again," he said Thursday from his hospital bed in a video from the University of Kansas Health System.
Volunteers herded children into the church basement, careful not to scare them, while police officers arrived on the scene.