Austins in south Olathe, site of shootings Wednesday, reopens for business
The Olathe restaurant where one man was killed and two were wounded Wednesday in a shooting that may have been racially motivated reopened for business Saturday morning.
Austins Bar & Grill, 2103 E. 151st St., began welcoming customers at 10 a.m.
The business had been closed since a gunman killed 32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla and wounding his friend Alok Madasani, also 32.
Both men were employed at Garmin. A third man, Ian Grillot, 24, who tried to stop the gunman, also was wounded.
Witnesses said that before the shooting the gunman was using racial slurs and reportedly told Kuchibhotla and Madasani, both of Indian descent, to “get out my country”
Olathe resident Adam W. Purinton, 51, is charged in the attack with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is being in the Johnson County jail and scheduled for his initial court hearing on Monday.
Separately, federal authorities are investigating to determine whether to charge Purinton with a hate crime.
Austins owner Brandon Blum announced on the restaurant’s website after the shooting that it would reopen Saturday “giving our staff and patrons the needed time to process the event.”
Mike Hendricks: 816-234-4738, @kcmikehendricks
This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Austins in south Olathe, site of shootings Wednesday, reopens for business."