Community in shock over FedEx shooting
INDIANAPOLIS — Amarjit Sekhon, a 48-year-old mother of two sons, was the breadwinner of her family and one of many members of Indianapolis’ tightknit Sikh community employed at a FedEx warehouse on the city’s southwest side.
Her family is among many in mourning after a mass shooting Thursday night claimed the lives of Sekhon and seven other FedEx employees — four of them Sikhs — leaving the community stunned, her brother-in-law, Kuldip Sekhon, said Saturday.
He said his sister-in-law began working at the facility in November and was a dedicated worker whose husband was disabled. In addition to Sekhon, the Marion County Coroner’s office identified the dead late Friday as: Matthew R. Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jasvinder Kaur, 50; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Karli Smith, 19; and John Weisert, 74.
Police said Brandon Scott Hole, 19, apparently began firing randomly at people in the parking lot of the FedEx facility, killing four, before entering the building, fatally shooting four more people and then turning the gun on himself. Several other people were wounded, including five who were taken to a hospital. Authorities have not publicly speculated on a motive.
The killings marked the latest in a string of recent mass shootings across the country and the third mass shooting this year in Indianapolis. Deputy Police Chief Craig McCartt said Hole was a former FedEx employee and last worked for the company in 2020.
Hole’s family said in a statement Saturday that they are “so sorry for the pain and hurt” his actions have brought.
“We are devastated at the loss of life caused as a result of Brandon’s actions; through the love of his family, we tried to get him the help he needed. Our sincerest and most heartfelt apologies go out to the victims of this senseless tragedy,” they said in the statement.
About 90 percent of the workers at the FedEx warehouse near the Indianapolis International Airport are members of the local Sikh community, police said Friday.
The shooting comes the week Sikhs are celebrating Vaisakhi, a major holiday festival that among other things marks the date Sikhism was born as a collective faith.