Injured in Kansas race attack, Ian Grillot�s sisters set up GoFundMe campaign for treatment

Thirty-two-year old Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla succumbed to injuries after a racial attack in a bar at Olathe, Kansas after he and his colleague-friend, Alok Madasani were shot at by 51-year old Navy veteran, Adam W. Purinton. Madasani, who also suffered injuries, is said to be in a stable condition and has been discharged from the hospital.

The third victim of the carnage was 24-year old Kansas resident Ian Grillot who attempted to chase down and subdue the assailant, hoping to keep him down and disarmed until the police arrived. Grillot, who had been at the bar watching a basketball game with friends, expected the assailant’s magazine to be empty at that point as he thought he heard nine shots fired while crouching under a table. But he had miscounted. When he chased down the gunman and tried to snatch the gun away, Purinton turned around and shot him – sending one bullet through his hand and another two through his chest.

The bullets barely missed his coronary artery. While hospitalized, Grillot — who feels grateful to be alive — said that he hadn’t been thinking straight and was driven by an instinct to stop the assailant, who had obviously done a bad deed, from targeting more people. His only regret is that only one of the two gentlemen survived.

Injured Alok Madasani, who has a child on the way, visited Grillot in his unit last night and one can only imagine the preciousness of the exchange between the two.Grillot’s sisters have set up a GoFundMe campaign seeking help with the formidable medical expenses that his recovery would entail. The campaign has seen a huge outpouring of support from the community, including several Indian-Americans, who rightly see Grillot’s actions as heroic and driven by the noble urge to stand up for the wronged victims. The Indian Express has reached out to sister Maggie Grillot for a comment.

Humble Ian Grillot, whose sense of humor seemed intact during his interview with KCTV5 News, said that he only tried to do the naturally right thing as a fellow human – the race and ethnicity of the persons attacked was immaterial in the moment. Upon getting well, he said he wanted to go fishing and catch up with Madasani, who he referred to as his new best friend. He doesn’t think of himself as any hero.