Sikh man shot, wounded in hate crime in Kent, Washington

On Friday evening, Deep Rai was working on his car in his driveway in Kent, a suburb of Seattle, when he was approached by a stranger. The stranger spoke to him aggressively, telling Rai to “go back to his country,” before shoving him to the ground and shooting him in the arm. Rai is now “out of danger” according to India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, who has spoken with the victim’s father. CNN reports that the victim was released from the hospital on Saturday. Police are investigating the shooting as a hate crime, and are still hunting for the assailant. Hate crimes against Sikhs have been on the rise since 9/11, possibly because they are easily recognizable, with their turbans and beards, and people mistake them for Muslims.