[9] The suspect, Adam Purinton, was arrested while drinking at a restaurant bar in Clinton, Missouri, about 82 miles (132 km) away.

He eluded them, but was arrested after he was said to have admitted to "killing two Middle Eastern men" at a bar to which he had fled, 82 miles from the scene of the crimes.

[11] Purinton was said to have been a drinker whose alcohol consumption increased and whose behavior rapidly deteriorated after his father died from pancreatic cancer, 18 months before the crimes.

Prior to his arrest, he had recently held a series of unskilled jobs including in hardware and liquor stores and as a dishwasher in a pizza parlor.

[24] Sushma Swaraj, India's Foreign minister, said on Twitter that "I am shocked", and that she would help the family to bring the victim's body back to Hyderabad.

[25][26] When asked by reporters whether "rhetoric that the President or—that generally has been out here recently could have contributed in any way", White House press secretary Sean Spicer stated, "I mean, obviously, any loss of life is tragic, but I'm not going to get into, like, that kind of—to suggest that there’s any correlation I think is a bit absurd.

US Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas posted a statement on Facebook about the shooting, expressing concern for the safety of other immigrants.

[29][30] Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a proclamation to honor the three victims of the shooting and declared March 16 as Indian American Appreciation day.