Days after killer convicted, widow of slain India native leads walk for peace
Hundreds of friends, family and coworkers of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a native of India gunned down outside of Austin's Bar & Grill last year, gathered at the Garmin headquarters in Olathe for a memorial walk on what would have been his 34th birthday.
Spearheaded by his wife, Sunayana Dumala, the approximately 2-mile peace walk from the headquarters on 151st Street to the bar was meant to honor the life of Kuchibhotla.
"We are here to spread the message of belonging and the message of being welcomed," Dumala told the crowd of hundreds outside of Garmin before the walk began Friday.
"We gather here today because of one man's action and the hate that took an innocent life from us. You all being here is an answer to that one man."
Adam Purinton, 52, pleaded guilty to killing Kuchibhotla, and wounding two other men in the February 2017 shooting. Witnesses say they heard Purinton yell "get out of my country" and "terrorist" before the shooting, which injured Alok Madasani, Kuchibhotla's co-worker at Garmin. He also shot and wounded Ian Grillot, an Olathe man who tried to defend Kuchibhotla and Madasani. Grillot attended Friday's walk.
"Sunayana has not let this tragedy defeat her," Garmin CEO Clifton Pemble said to the crowd before the walk began. "Instead she used the circumstances to find a voice and spread a message."
Many in the crowd wore shirts and pins inscribed with “we all belong” as a show of support for Forever Welcome, a social media campaign Dumala created in the wake of the Olathe tragedy.
“The goal is to share more immigrant stories from the past and present and to spread a positive message that America is welcome to everybody from all walks of life,” Dumala says.
Claudia Pratt, an Olathe woman who was present at Austin’s the night of the shooting, was one of the supporters donning the Forever Welcome pin.
“Today is about everyone coming together and being supportive," she said.
Arunjith Kunjumon, a fellow India-born Garmin worker who didn't know his slain co-worker, says it was that message of inclusion and peace that compelled him to come to the march.
“To be honest this is more than I expected. It’s wonderful. It shows people are kind and that they don’t want the divisiveness.”
The diverse crowd highlighted, Grillot said, the figure of hope Dumala has become in the wake of the shooting.
"It's been wonderful to watch her blossom," Grillot said during the walk. "I wish it wasn't under these circumstances, but we've gotten to watch Sunayana blossom into this figure of hope."
"Nothing can replace the void of what's been taken from us," Dumala says. "But the love and warmth we've received has given us the hope we all need to look forward."
This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Days after killer convicted, widow of slain India native leads walk for peace."