Indian engineer from Hyderabad, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, was all of 32. Along with his wife Sunayana, he lived in the American midwestern state of Kansas.
And Kansas was where Srinivas was shot dead in an apparent racial attack on Wednesday night.
An American man opened fire on Srinivas and two others (including his colleague Alok Madasani) at Austin's Bar and Grill after allegedly yelling "get out of my country".
Srinivas succumbed to his injuries even as he was rushed to a hospital, while the two other victims are critically injured.
The local police has termed it a "possible hate crime". The accused, 51-year-old Adam Purinton, was arrested five hours after the shooting.
‘Srinivas Was Top Class’: Loved Ones Offer Condolences
A Hyderabad native, Srinivas moved to the US in 2006. He was a student at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and most recently, an employee at the Garmin headquarters in Olathe.
As the news of his death spread, his friends in the US and back home in India took to Facebook to offer their condolences.
I am feeling totally numb, wrote another friend.
"He was very polite. He could not start a fight at all," Siva Sattanathan, Srinivas’ friend who worked with him in Iowa, told the New York Daily. The slain immigrant was known for his friendliness, he added.
Srinivas Made the US His Home 10 Years Ago
Upon completing his course at the University of Missouri, Srinivas had joined Rockwell Collins in Iowa as a software engineer for flight control systems. He had then moved to Rockwell Collins in Seattle, according to Srinivas’ LinkedIn profile. He had been working with Garmin since 2014 as an aviation programmes engineer.
I manage helicopter OEM programs from both technical and project management standpoint. Directly responsible for managing the technical aspects and program schedule working directly with aircraft OEMs during avionics design, development, integration, flight test and certification activities.Srinivas’ description of his work at Garmin on his LinkedIn profile
In a public statement, Garmin said: “We’re saddened that two Garmin associates were involved in last night’s incident, and we express our condolences to the family and friends of our co-workers involved. Garmin will have grievance counsellors on-site and available for its associates today and tomorrow.”
Srinivas’ manager at Rockwell Collins, Rod Larson, told the Star: "He was very sharp. A top-of-his-class kind of guy. His personality was exceptional."
Funds Being Collected to Bring Srinivas’ Body Back to India
A 'GoFundMe' campaign has been started to collect funds for his body to be brought back home.
Srini was the kindest person you would meet, full of love, care and compassion for everyone. He never uttered a word of hatred, a simple gossip, or a careless comment. He was brilliant, well mannered and simply an outstanding human being.The GoFundMe plea
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