WH: Kansas shooting ‘act of racially motivated hatred’

The White House on Tuesday decried the shooting of two Indian engineers in Kansas as an “act of racially motivated hatred,” its strongest comments to date on the incident.

 

{mosads}“The president condemns these and any racially and religiously motivated attacks,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. 

 

President Trump has come under fire from critics who say his response to the shooting has been lackluster. 

The Kansas City Star ripped his silence on Monday, calling on Trump to denounce the violent act during his Tuesday night address to Congress.

“Trump has offered no words of condolence for the grieving widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who died from his gunshot wounds,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote.

Hillary Clinton also called on Trump to speak out against hate crimes across the country, tweeting Monday: “With threats & hate crimes on rise, we shouldn’t have to tell @POTUS to do his part.”

The FBI announced Tuesday that it will investigate the shooting as a hate crime. According to witnesses, the suspect was heard saying “get out of my country” before opening fire at a restaurant in Olathe, Kan.

“Based upon the initial investigative activity, the FBI, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, is investigating this incident as a hate crime,” the Justice Department said in a statement, as reported by ABC News.

The suspect, Adam Purinton, is being charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of first-degree murder, according to KCUR.

One of the two men, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, died from injuries incurred during the attack, as reported by KCUR. The other man, Alok Madasani, has been released from the hospital.

A third man, Ian Grillot, who tried to help the victims during the assault, was also hospitalized and is reportedly in stable condition.

Purinton made his first appearance in court on Monday and will be represented by a public defender.