Governor Greitens’ Statement on Kansas Shooting

“This past Wednesday, a man walked into a bar in Olathe, Kansas, and shot three people. One of them died; the other two sustained devastating injuries. The man who died was 32 years old, and his name was Srinivas Kuchibhotla. He leaves behind a grieving widow. Our hearts go out to his wife, his friends, and his family.

Srinivas and his wounded friend, Alok Madasani, were engineers from India who had built lives in the United States. Both had studied here, and Alok graduated from our very own University of Missouri-Kansas City. 

After the shooting, the suspect fled across the Kansas border into our state. It was Missouri police officers from the Clinton Police Department who arrested him. He was sent back to Kansas and will face the judgment of the court on Monday.

 

We owe our thanks to Missouri law enforcement for their quick action. Though the suspect went quietly, there was no guarantee of that. Anything could have happened. Our police officers put their lives on the line on every call of this kind.

 

It was a concerned Missourian who is said to have alerted the police. The suspect had admitted the crime to her and asked her for a place to hide out. She took responsible and decisive action that led to the arrest.

 

It is alleged that, when the suspect went into the bar, he shouted “get out of my country” before firing his weapon. We will learn the truth of what happened in the bar soon enough, but what we can say for certain is this: This hate has no place in our state. This violence has no place in our state. And if you are a violent criminal who harms the innocent, you will find no quarter in our state. Come across our border, and we will find you and bring you to justice.”