Vigils underway in Indianapolis to honor 8 victims in FedEx shooting

Indianapolis — Residents held vigils here Saturday in memory of eight people gunned down late Thursday at a FedEx plant, as authorities continued to investigate why the 19-year-old gunman targeted his former workplace.

This latest mass shooting — the sixth in the United States in the past five weeks — left local leaders once again calling for action to stop these violent outbursts that have targeted offices, stores, places of worship, movie theaters, nightclubs, colleges and grade schools.

“We have to act against gun violence,” said Rupal Thanawala, president of the Asian American Alliance in Indianapolis. “I cannot say why this happened, but these people will not come back. Everyone should have the right to feel safe at work, at school, at houses of worship. But, people don’t have that anymore.”

The victims of Thursday’s shooting ranged in age from 19 to 74 years old, including a recent high school graduate with basketball talent and a 68-year-old Indian immigrant who loved long walks around his neighborhood. Four members of the Sikh community were killed. The massacre also hospitalized at least five people with one in critical condition, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

On Saturday, officials released no new details about the motive of the gunman, identified as Brandon Hole, who last worked at the FedEx plant in 2020. Hole was found dead at the crime scene by police Thursday with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A person who knew Hole said he had suffered from mental illness, and said he did not get the treatment he needed.

“I feel really bad for the eight families that lost loved ones,” said a man who identified himself as a family friend who spoke in an interview with The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because he does not want to be the family’s spokesperson. “Should have never happened at all. I do know that they did try to get him help, and they couldn’t.”

In a statement released Saturday, Hole’s family said, “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. We are so sorry for the pain and hurt being felt by their families and the entire Indianapolis community,” the statement reads.