In February last, a gunman shot and killed an indian immigrant in a bar in Kansas City. It was a hate crime and, Ian Grillot, a 24-year-old American youth, who was present at the scene he tried to intervene and run down the gunman. He was shot in hand and chest.
The New York Times reports that in appreciation of his heroic efforts, the community of Indian immigrants in the United States collected $100,000 and gifted it to him to help him build a house.
The background
The shooting incident happened at Austins Bar and Grill in Kansas City on Feb. 22 where two Indian immigrants were enjoying the evening when the gunman walked in, asked them about their nationalities.
32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed in the shooting, and 32-year-old Alok Madasani was wounded. Both of them were engineers who worked in a GPS navigation and communications device company, got their education in the United States and were legal residents of America.
The suspect is in police custody and, he had wanted to know about the immigration status of the Indians before emptying his gun on them. He is charged with premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder.
This is treated as a possible hate crime by both the local and the federal authorities. Witnesses have admitted that the gunman was a white and, he not only shouted ethnic slurs but also told them that they did not belong to America.
He is now a hero
Ian Grillot is now a hero and, his confrontation with the gunman has earned him praise from India and, officials have extended an invitation to him to visit the country. The Indian residents in the US, on their part, collected an amount of $100,000 and gifted it to him to help him buy a home. His hand was still in a cast when he accepted the check.
Incidentally, Ian Grillot was hospitalized after the incident and, came out of the hospital on March 1. His family wanted to get donations to cover the medical expenses and, collected more than it expected. He is looking forward to visiting India because he has always found its heritage and culture an interesting mix.
This incident shows that US is a country where people live in harmony and, those who try to preach hate and commit hate crimes are in the minority.
