Hundreds of people march for peace on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, around the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kan., before starting a prayer vigil in response to the deadly shooting Wednesday. Adam Purinton was arrested hours after the attack and accused of shooting two Indian immigrants and a third man at a bar, in what some believe was a hate crime. (Allison Long/The Kansas City Star via AP)
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Hundreds of people march for peace on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, around the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kan., before starting a prayer vigil in response to the deadly shooting Wednesday. Adam Purinton was
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Photo: Allison Long, AP
Alok Madasani, left, and his wife Reepthi Gangula hold candles during a vigil Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kan., held in response to the deadly shooting Wednesday. Adam Purinton was arrested hours after the attack and accused of shooting two Indian immigrants and a third man at a bar, in what some believe was a hate crime. Alok Madasani was injured during the attack. (Allison Long/The Kansas City Star via AP)
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Alok Madasani, left, and his wife Reepthi Gangula hold candles during a vigil Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kan., held in response to the deadly shooting Wednesday. Adam
... more
Photo: Allison Long, AP
Hundreds of people attend a vigil Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kan., held in response to the deadly shooting Wednesday. Adam Purinton was arrested hours after the attack and accused of shooting two Indian immigrants and a third man at a bar, in what some believe was a hate crime. (Allison Long/The Kansas City Star via AP)
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Hundreds of people attend a vigil Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kan., held in response to the deadly shooting Wednesday. Adam Purinton was arrested hours after the attack and
... more
Photo: Allison Long, AP
This Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, photo provided by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Olathe, Kan., shows Adam Purinton, who has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the Wednesday night shooting at a crowded bar in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe. One man was killed and two were injured in the shooting. (Johnson County Sheriff's Office via AP)
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This Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, photo provided by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Olathe, Kan., shows Adam Purinton, who has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the Wednesday night shooting at a
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Photo: AP
Man wounded in Kansas bar shooting speaks at vigil
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — One of three men shot at a bar in suburban Kansas City spoke at a weekend vigil, saying "I wish it was a dream."
The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/2mkJVIS) Alok Madasani, 32, told a crowd of hundreds at the Ball Conference Center in Olathe, Kansas, on Sunday that "what happened that night was a senseless crime and that took away my best friend."
Madasani's friend and co-worker, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed in Wednesday night's shooting at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe. Another patron, Ian Grillot, 24, also was wounded in the shooting.
"The main reason why I am here is that's what my best friend, Srinivas, would have done," Madasani said. "He would have been here for me."
Madasani and Kuchibhotla both worked for GPS device-maker Garmin. At the vigil, Madasani recalled how Kuchibhotla never complained about picking him up and driving him to work over a six-month period.
"He waited till I bought a car. That's the kind of guy he was — is," Madasani said.
Adam Purinton, 51, of Olathe, is scheduled to appear in court Monday. He faces first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder charges. According to witnesses to the attack, Purinton yelled "get out of my country" at the two Indian men before he opened fire.
Madasani called the shooting "an isolated incident that doesn't reflect the true spirit of Kansas, the Midwest and the United States." That drew applause from the audience at the vigil.
Olathe Mayor Mike Copeland, state Sen. Rob Olson, Kansas Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer and other elected officials also spoke at the event.
"When you grieve, we all grieve," Copeland said. "We will not let one act of evil separate us or divide us."