Victims, Heroes, Villains
Another senseless tragedy, that is becoming almost commonplace in the news cycle. On February 22nd 2017, an intoxicated man hurling racial slurs opened fire inside a packed Kansas bar, shouting ‘Get out of my country.’
The tragedy is anything but commonplace. Heartbreak will never fade for the loved ones of 32-year old Srinivas Kuchibhotla, murdered while relaxing after work in a nearby restaurant.
Srinivas was an Indian immigrant, working as an aviation engineer at Garmin.
Alok Madasani will never be the same again, after taking a bullet as he chatted with Srinivas, and watched in numb horror as his colleague and friend was shot dead before his very eyes. Heart stopping moments of terror are never commonplace.
Ian Grillot walked into his favorite bar to unwind and catch the local basketball game. Instead, he ended up in hospital with a bullet in his chest for lunging at the shooter, trying to stop the perpetrator of the violence. “I was just doing what anyone should have done,” Grillot told the Kansas City Star. “It’s not about where he’s from, or ethnicity. We’re all humans.” A gut reaction to save another’s life at the cost of one’s safety is not commonplace.
“My brother was the third victim. My deepest condolences to the family- I’m so very sorry for your loss. My brother wishes he could have done more for your family. Keeping everyone in my prayers,” Ian’s sister, Maggie, posted on FB message shared by Srinivas’s friends, communicating the shocking news.
Adam Purinton, reported to be drinking hard and hurling racial slurs earlier that evening, fled Austin’s Bar and Grill after he opened fire in the packed restaurant on Wednesday night, and allegedly told a bartender at his next stop in Missouri, that he had killed two men who were ‘Middle Eastern.’
Splintering one human race into multiple fragments on the basis of perceived differences, fomenting hatred and condoning murderous actions should not be commonplace. Sadly, it is more commonplace than we hope.
