A hooded figure sprayed bullets after setting foot inside the Indianapolis FedEx warehouse where he used to work, killing eight FedEx employees and leaving seven more injured before shooting himself on Apr. 15. 

When the police arrived on the scene, the shooter, Brandon Hole, was already dead. It was the city’s third mass shooting since the beginning of 2021. 

“Last night, Indianapolis was revisited by the scourge of gun violence that has killed far too many in our community and our country,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.

According to the Indianapolis police chief Randal Taylor, Hole legally purchased the two semi-automatic rifles used in the shooting, despite an earlier warning and confiscation of his previously owned shotgun due to concerns around Hole’s mental state. Chief Taylor suggested that Hole was able to purchase the assault weapons due to the ineffectiveness of the state’s red flag laws. This incident brought more alert to gun violence and the current inadequacy of gun regulation methods such as red flag laws, which keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them, and “extreme risk protection orders,” which involve seizing a person’s firearms for various reasons. 

“Too many Americans are dying every single day from gun violence,” said President Joe Biden in a briefing about the Indianapolis shooting and gun restriction laws. “It stains our character and pierces the very soul of our nation. We can, and must, do more to act and to save lives.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working to uncover Hole’s motive, although the search is bleak since the gunman is now deceased. 

Shortly after the shooting, employees and their friends and family members congregated at a “family unification center” arranged by authorities at a nearby hotel. Some were upset about being unable to contact workers at the site of the shooting, as many employees were prohibited from using their mobile devices to avoid distractions.

The shooting was especially distressing to the Sikh community, as this specific FedEx location is known for hiring many Sikh employees, and four of the eight victims killed were Sikh. This has left the Sikh community in Indianapolis terrified and feeling targeted.  

One victim, Amarjeet Johal, was a “mother, grandmother, and member of the Indianapolis Sikh community,” according to The Indianapolis Star.

“I am heartbroken to confirm that my naniji (maternal grandmother), Amarjeet Kaur Johal, is among those killed in the senseless shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis,” said Johal’s granddaughter, Komal Chohan. “We are still working to identify others who were injured and killed on Thursday night. I have several family members who work at the particular facility and are traumatized. My nani, my family, and our families should not feel unsafe at work, at their place of worship, or anywhere. Enough is enough—our community has been through enough trauma.” 

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