But he didn’t go far, pacing outside in the parking lot. Mr. Madasani said he and Mr. Kuchibhotla had decided to leave, but were stopped as other patrons apologized and assured them they were welcome. One guy paid their tab; the bar manager gave them another round of beer and fried pickles, a favorite of Mr. Kuchibhotla. “Everybody kept coming up to us saying this is not what we represent, you guys belong here,” he said.

Not long after, according to the authorities, Mr. Purinton returned to the bar with a handgun. He stood in the patio door, pointed his gun toward the two men, and fired.

Proposing to Him, Online

They had met online in 2006 after a mutual friend gave her a list of names of Indian students attending the University of Texas at El Paso. She was considering a master’s program there and wanted to get a feel for what to expect as an immigrant student. She sent a note to the first name on the list: Mr. Kuchibhotla.

They were both from Hyderabad, the riverside capital of Telangana State in southern India. He grew up the middle of three sons and loved cricket as a boy, playing on the rooftop of his family home. His father was a quality assurance officer for a pharmaceutical company and his mother was a teacher.

“He was the tallest of all of us brothers and cousins,” said Sai Kota, a cousin who grew up with Mr. Kuchibhotla and now lives in Edison, N.J. “We used to volunteer him to get the ball when it would go onto another rooftop. He could jump to the other rooftop. He was a brother and mentor to me.”

Ms. Dumala was immediately drawn to Mr. Kuchibhotla’s sharp focus, sense of humor and patience — she still likes to tell the story of the many weekends he took her to empty parking lots to teach her to drive. He liked the sound of her voice, melodic and sweet, and her caring nature — almost every day, she checked to make sure he had eaten breakfast.

Their casual phone conversations blossomed into the beginnings of a six-year courtship. After three months, Ms. Dumala proposed to him one night. No matter that she had never seen him in person.