2021 — April 15, mass-shooting/8 and suicide, FedEx facility ~Indianapolis Airport, IN– 9

–9 Associated Press. “Police trying to identify gunman, motive in FedEx shooting. 4-16-2021.
–9 NYT. “FedEx Gunman Bought 2 Rifles After Police Seized His Shotgun…” 4-18-2021.

Narrative Information

April 16, AP: “Indianapolis (AP) — Police were working Friday to identify a gunman and determine his motive for opening fire at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, killing eight people and taking his own life in the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S. Deputy Chief Craig McCartt of the Indianapolis police said the gunman started randomly shooting at people in the parking lot late Thursday night and then went into the building, where he shot himself shortly before police entered the facility. McCartt said four people were killed outside the building and another four inside. Several people were also wounded, including five taken to the hospital. The carnage took just a couple of minutes. “It did not last very long,” he said….” (Associated Press (Casey Smith). “Police trying to identify gunman, motive in FedEx shooting. 4-16-2021.)

April 17, Indianapolis Star: “Indianapolis police have identified the eight people killed in the mass shooting Thursday evening at a FedEx center….”

Amarjeet Kaur Johal, 66
Karli Smith, 19
Amarjit Sekhon, 48
Matthew R. Alexander, 32
Samaria Blackwell, 19
Jaswindre Kaur, 64
Jaswinder Singh, 68
John Weisert, 74.

“Police said earlier Friday that the suspected gunman, 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole, killed himself shortly after the shooting began at 11 p.m. IMPD Deputy Chief Craig McCartt said Hole was an employee at the FedEx center in 2020 [for two months ].

“The shooting, considered the worst mass shooting in Indianapolis’ history, left multiple injured. It’s also the third mass shooting in Indianapolis since the beginning of the year.” (Indianapolis Star/Sarah Nelson. “FedEx shooting victims are identified by Indianapolis police: Who are they?” 4-16-2021, updated 4-17-2021.)

April 17, WGN TV9, Chicago: “Indianapolis (NewsNation Now) – Police scoured a FedEx facility in Indianapolis and searched the suspected gunman’s home Friday [16th] looking for a motive for the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S….

“Paul Keenan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis field office, said Friday that agents questioned Hole [April 2020 ] after his mother called police to say that her son might commit ‘suicide by cop.’ He says agents questioned Hole based on items found in his bedroom. He did not elaborate on what those items were. No crime was identified and the FBI says it did not identify Hole as espousing a racially motivated ideology.

“Earlier, Keenan said it would be ‘premature to speculate’ on the gunman’s motive. McCartt said hole had been a subject of previous police reports, including one in March 2020 when a gun was seized. He was unsure if the rifle used in the shooting was legally or illegally obtained.

“His stepsister described Hole as ‘isolated’ in an exclusive interview with NewsNation affiliate WXIN-TV. ‘He never got the help that he needed,’ she said….

“Officials said they were unaware if Hole had been terminated by FedEx or not….” (WGN TV9, Chicago. “FBI says it interviewed 19-year-old FedEx mass shooter last year.” 4-17-2021.)

April 17, Indianapolis Star: “….An IMPD [Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept.] report from March 3, 2020, references a mental health check for suicidal tendencies in the 1100 block of North Huber St., and lists Hole, then 18, as being arrested. It says police seized a shotgun “from dangerous person.” The report said the Behavioral Health Unit “initiated immediate detention on male reported to have voiced suicidal ideation.” It added Hole had purchased a gun within the last 24 hours and talked about suicide by police, a situation in which a person prompts police to kill them. Hole was transported to a local hospital. No online court records appear to correspond with the incident. The details were confirmed in a statement Friday from FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan:

‘In March 2020, the suspect’s mother contacted law enforcement to report he might try to commit ‘suicide by cop.’ The suspect was placed on an immediate detention mental health temporary hold by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. A shotgun was seized at his residence. Based on items observed in the suspect’s bedroom at that time, he was interviewed by the FBI in April 2020. No Racially Motivated Violent Extremism (RMVE) ideology was identified during the course of the assessment and no criminal violation was found. The shotgun was not returned to the suspect.’

(Indianapolis Star/Lawrence Andrea and Tim Evans. “FedEx shooter identified as 19-year-old Indianapolis resident who ‘voiced suicidal ideation’.” 4-16-2021; updated 4-17-2021.)

Sources

Associated Press (Casey Smith). “Police trying to identify gunman, motive in FedEx shooting. 4-16-2021. Accessed 4-16-2021 at: https://apnews.com/article/fedex-indianapolis-mass-shooting-e92ad3117c56357b3b2c71a2903e68a8

CBS News (Victoria Albert). “FedEx says suspected gunman worked for the company for 2 months.” 4-16-2021. Accessed 4-17-2021 at: https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/fedex-mass-shooting-indianapolis-8-killed/

Indianapolis Star/Lawrence Andrea and Tim Evans. “FedEx shooter identified as 19-year-old Indianapolis resident who ‘voiced suicidal ideation’.” 4-16-2021; updated 4-17-2021. Accessed 4-17-2021 at: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2021/04/16/indianapolis-fedex-mass-shooting-suspect-identity-update/7251111002/

Indianapolis Star/Sarah Nelson. “FedEx shooting victims are identified by Indianapolis police: Who are they?” 4-16-2021, updated 4-17-2021. Accessed 4-17-2021 at: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2021/04/16/victims-fedex-mass-shooting-indianapolis-ground-facility/7250255002/

New York Times (Andres R. Martinez, et al.). “FedEx Gunman Bought 2 Rifles After Police Seized His Shotgun, Chief Says.” 4-18-2021. Accessed 4-18-2021 at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/17/us/indianapolis-shooting-victims.html

New York Times (Sarah Mervosh, et al.). “Names of the eight victims were released by the authorities.” 4-16-2021. Accessed 4-17-2021 at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/16/us/indianapolis-shooting-fedex-facility.html

WGN TV9, Chicago. “FBI says it interviewed 19-year-old FedEx mass shooter last year.” 4-17-2021. Accessed 4-17-2021 at: https://wgntv.com/news/fbi-says-it-interviewed-19-year-old-fedex-mass-shooter-last-year/