Indiana’s Sikh community honours victims of Fedex mass shooting
WASHINGTON: Sikhs in the US state of Indiana have held a memorial service to honour the eight people, including four community members, who were killed in a mass shooting at a Fedex facility last month.
Brandon Scott Hole, 19, a former worker at the Indianapolis Fedex facility, killed eight people on April 15 before killing himself. Four of those killed were Sikhs, including three women. The memorial service on Saturday was opened with “ardaas”, a Sikh prayer.
“We are so thankful to everyone who came together to attend and help put on this important event,” said Balwinder Singh, an Indianapolis Sikh community leader. “What happened on April 15 is a tragedy that forever altered too many lives, and only by coming together to grieve, honour, and call for action can we move forward,” he said.
The event, held at a city stadium, featured city, state and federal representatives, Indianapolis-area interfaith leaders and Sikh community members.
“As your governor, I stand with you in support of the Sikh community, with each of the families of the victims, with the hundreds of others who are feeling the impact of this tragedy, and with our law enforcement and first responders who face it daily so most of us don’t have to,” Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb said.
“And we stand with this city and the entire community, still reeling from the impact of that terrible day. I’m grateful for each person here today to honour lives so tragically lost, to show support for survivors and to extend a comforting hand to the families of those taken from us far too soon,” he said.