Authorities have not called the shooting a hate crime, instead saying they are investigating to see if it was motivated by bias. But witnesses reported that Purinton hurled racial slurs at the two men and told them: “Get out of my country.” The shooting stirred anger and fear in India and among the South Asia diaspora in the U.S., prompting some to link it to xenophobia spurred by the Trump campaign.
They were mistaken for Iranians.
Samantha Schmidt - The Washington Post - Tuesday, February 28, 2017