Adam Purinton, 51, of Olathe, Kansas, U.S. is pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters. (Handout/Reuters)

KANSAS

Bar killing may be racially motivated

Authorities in Kansas filed first-degree murder charges against a man accused of opening fire in a bar, killing an Indian man and injuring two people.

According to witness accounts, the gunman reportedly told two of the people who were shot — both Indian men who work for Garmin, the technology firm — to “get out of my country” before opening fire. He also used racial slurs during the Wednesday evening shooting inside Austin’s Bar and Grill in Olathe, about 20 miles southwest of Kansas City, witnesses said.

Authorities said they have not yet identified a motive for the attack, but relatives of the Indian men said they feared the shooting was connected to a climate of fear and xenophobia in America.

Police identified the suspected attacker as Adam W. Purinton, 51.

One of the Indian men shot, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, later died at a hospital, police said. Alok Madasani, 32, of Overland Park, Kan., was wounded but was released from the hospital Thursday. Ian Grillot, 24, who apparently tried to intervene, also was shot.

(Youtube/KUHospital)

Purinton was taken into custody late Thursday in Clinton, Mo., about 80 miles from Olathe, and by Friday afternoon he had been returned to Johnson County, where he was being held in a detention center.

Johnson County District Attorney Stephen M. Howe said Purinton was charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. Purinton’s bond was set at $2 million, according to court documents. Purinton is scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon for his arraignment.

Witnesses told the Kansas City Star and The Washington Post that the gunman was thought to have been kicked out of the bar Wednesday night before the shooting. He reportedly came back and hurled racial slurs at the two Indian men, including comments that suggested he thought they were of Middle Eastern descent. After he started firing, Grillot, a regular at the bar, moved to get involved.

— Mark Berman and Samantha Schmidt

MICHIGAN

Ex-FBI agent who shot at officer may avoid jail

A former FBI agent who was arrested in western Michigan for shooting at a police officer outside a fitness club could avoid jail under a plea agreement.

Ruben Hernandez, 35, pleaded no contest Friday to felonious assault. A no-contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing. Under the plea deal, prosecutors will recommend at his April 13 sentencing that Hernandez avoid jail.

No one was injured in the December shooting outside a Planet Fitness in Grand Rapids, and Hernandez was quickly arrested. Police fired no shots. Authorities say the Las Vegas-based agent was in Michigan for an investigation.

A small memorial for Srinivas Kuchibhotla is displayed outside Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kan., Friday. (Orlin Wagner/AP)

Defense attorney Larry Willey said that Hernandez doesn’t remember what happened and that alcohol may have been a factor. Willey said Hernandez was fired by the FBI in January.

— Associated Press

Fire damages mosque in Florida: An intentionally set fire damaged a prayer hall at a Tampa-area mosque early Friday, investigators said. The arson occurred at the Islamic Society of New Tampa, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said. Fire investigators responded at around 2 a.m. No one was at the mosque when the fire started.

Four injured in Oklahoma gas well explosion: Four people were injured when a private natural gas well exploded in eastern Oklahoma on Thursday night, authorities said. Wagoner County Emergency Manager Heath Underwood said the explosion happened as contract workers were repairing a gas line near Wagoner, about 125 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.

— From news services