The suspected killer of two Indian people in the Kansas city shooting case apparently thought he was killing Iranians, a witness told investigating officers.

AP

The accused, identified as Adam Purinton, 51, was arrested at a restaurant on suspicion of the racially motivated shooting. An employee at the restaurant told a 911 dispatcher that the suspect admitted to shooting two Iranian people.

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According to the witness, Purinton yelled, “Get out of my country,” at two 32-year-old Indian men, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, before he opened fire at Austin's Bar and Grill in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe on Wednesday evening.

AP

Kuchibhotla was killed and Madasani injured. Both of them had moved to the US to study, and they worked as engineers at GPS-maker Garmin. A third man, Ian Grillot, 24, was wounded when he tried to intervene.

After the shootout, the white male suspect drove to a restaurant a few kilometres away and admitted the killing to a bartender.

AP

Till now authorities have not admitted the possibility of the attack being a racially motivated hate crime. However, the incident has raised larger questions among the people about the treatment of immigrants, who feel targeted by President Trump's promises to ban certain travellers, build a wall along the Mexico border and put “America first.”