Authorities Investigate Possible Hate Crime After 2 Indian Engineers Shot in Kansas, 1 Fatally

Prosecutors have charged a man with murder and attempted murder after he allegedly opened fire in a crowded bar near Kansas City, killing one man and injuring two others.

Adam Purinton, 51, was charged with one count of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of premeditated attempted murder after police allege he shot three men at Austin’s Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kansas.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed in the shooting. His friend, Alok Madasani, and bystander Ian Grillot were both injured.

During a press conference at the Olathe Police Department headquarters, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe announced the charges against Purinton. He was joined by representatives from both the FBI and the Olathe police.

In a report picked up by numerous media outlets, a witness told KCTV that Purinton allegedly yelled, “Get out of my country” as he moved toward the victims. While PEOPLE has been unable to verify the eyewitness account, a spokesperson at the Olathe Police Department confirms that they are working with federal authorities to determine whether the shooting was a bias-motivated hate crime.

Additionally, a FBI spokesman says that they are “thoroughly investigating” the incident.

• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

At the time of the incident, bar patrons were watching a University of Kansas basketball game on television. The police report states that Purinton got into an argument with Kuchibhotla and Madasani. Witnesses told KCTV that Purinton allegedly used racial slurs during the confrontation.

According to the report, Purinton allegedly left the bar and returned with a firearm. Police allege that he shot both men. When Ian Grillot stepped in, he was allegedly shot, as well.

Police allege Purinton fled on foot. Later, he allegedly entered an Applebees and allegedly told the bartender that he had been involved in a shooting.

Grillot was shot by one bullet that went through his hand and into his chest. In a video released by the University of Kansas Health System, Grillot said that he was lucky to be alive, and downplayed any indication that his involvement was heroic.

“I was just doing what anyone would have done,” he said. “It’s not about where he was from or his ethnicity, we are all humans, so I felt what was naturally right to do.”

• Pick up PEOPLE’s special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenét Ramsey and more.

Purinton is being held on $2 million bond. It is unclear if he has an attorney. He has yet to enter a plea.

Authorities are still investigating the incident to determine their next steps.

“This was a violent crime,” FBI special agent Eric Jackson told reporters in a press conference on Thursday. “We want the community to know that we’re looking to make sure that the individual involved in this is held accountable for his actions.”