A GUNMAN allegedly killed four outside the warehouse before rampaging inside and killing four others.
Police identified the shooter as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole. Cops say that the shooter died at the scene and was found with self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The late-night shooting took place at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport, police said.
Five people were hospitalized after the Thursday night shooting, according to police.
Police spokesperson Genae Cook said one of them had critical injuries.
Another two people were treated and released at the scene. FedEx said people who worked for the company were among the dead.
A witness said that he was working inside the building when he heard several gunshots in rapid succession.
“After a preliminary search we have located eight people at the scene with injuries with gunshot wounds,” Indianapolis police spokesperson Genae Cook told reporters this morning.
“Those eight were pronounced deceased at the scene.”
“We’re still trying to ascertain the exact reason and cause for this incident,” Cook said.
Read our Fedex shooting live blog below for the very latest news and updates…
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THREAT OF GUN VIOLENCE ‘NOT NORMAL’
The suspected shooter should never have had access to a deadly weapon, Carson said.
He added the threat of gun violence is not normal and will never be normal.
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EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE
During the vigil tonight, family members of victims held signs with their loved ones photos on it.
Eight people were killed in the tragic shooting this week.
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INTENSE GRIEF AND PAIN
Carson said the tragedy has caused “intense grief and pain” and said families of victims now need to be supported.
He praised the mayor for doing “a phenomenal job”, but said the shooting is not the first happening in the community – so something must change.
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BEGINNING WITH A PRAYER
The vigil tonight began with a prayer before several speakers shared their experience and paid tribute to the innocent victims of the shooting.
A large crowd, including many with Fedex t-shirts and masks, gathered at Krannert Park in Indianapolis.
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‘UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY’
Andrè Carson described the shooting as an “unspeakable tragedy”.
He said: “We’ve lost eight of our neighbors to a senseless act of violence.
“We still don’t know how many people were injured or wounded.”
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BREAKING: GUNMAN’S FAMILY APOLOGIZES
Hole’s family apologized to the victims of the tragedy and said they tried to get the alleged gunman, 19, help.
They said in a statement: “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.”
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‘IT IS OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY’
Deandra Dycus, whose 13-year-old son was injured after being hit by a stray bullet, led the vigil.
Addressing the crowd, she said: “It is okay not to be okay and feel free to reach out to any of us in those moments when you are not okay.”
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PRAYER VIGIL
Purpose 4 My Pain, a group of moms who lost their children to gun violence, held a prayer vigil for victims of the FedEx shooting today.
Deandra Dycus, whose son was injured in a shooting, led the vigil.
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WORKER TEXTED HUSBAND THAT THERE WAS ACTIVE SHOOTER
Ian Johnson, whose wife works at the building, told WTTV that she messaged him to say that there was an active shooter at the facility.
“She texted me to tell me there’s an active shooter and we communicated back and forth for a while. She’s since notified me she’s OK,” he said.
“After I communicated with her for a while, then it went silent for a while, so I came here just to see what was going on and she texted me I’m OK.”
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FEDEX REVIEWING NO-PHONE POLICY
FedEx prohibits employees from having their phones with them while they are working.
However, this rule has come under scrutiny after employees who were working at the time of the mass shooting struggled to contact loved ones.
The company told Business Insider it is reconsidering the policy in the wake of the incident.
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POLICE SAID SHOOTING WAS ‘HEARTBREAKING’
Spokeswoman Genae Cook said: “It is very heartbreaking.
“The officers responded, they came in, they went in and they did their job.”
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MYSTERY MAN MAY HAVE TRIED TO STOP GUNMAN
Employee Levi Miller told the Today show that his friend saw a man trying to thwart the shooter on Thursday night.
“My friend at the time witnessed a man who was not part of the incident but also pulled out a gun from his truck to try and engage the shooter and he died because of it,” Miller said.
The identity of the mystery man has not yet been revealed.
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HOLE BEGAN FIRING RANDOMLY
Hole began firing randomly at people in the parking lot of the FedEx facility late Thursday, killing four, before entering the building, fatally shooting four more people and then turning the gun on himself, Deputy Police Chief Craig McCartt said.
He said he did not know if Hole owned the gun legally.
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FBI INTERVIEWED HOLE LAST YEAR
The FBI said it interviewed Hole last year after his mother called police to say that her son might commit “suicide by cop”.
Coroners released the names of the victims late Friday, a little less than 24 hours after the latest mass shooting to rock the US.
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INDIANA GOVERNOR RELEASES STATEMENT
Governor Eric Holcomb said: “This is another heartbreaking day and I’m shaken by the mass shooting at the FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis.
“Indiana State Police are working with local responders and we will continue to offer any and all resources needed to assist during this tragedy.
“In times like this, worlds like justice and sorrow fall short in response for those senselessly taken. Our thoughts are with the families, friends, coworkers and all those affected by this terrible situation.”
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IN THE DARK
Family and friends of employees at the FedEx facility where eight people were fatally shot on Thursday night have explained how they could not reach loved ones who did not have their cellphones with them at work.
Those struggling to reach staff working at the Indianapolis facility were directed to go to a Holiday Inn Express nearby, according to reports.
Speaking in Friday morning, Charise Grice, whose nephew Raymond works at the FedEx, said she not heard whether he is safe or not.
Grice said: “We’re waiting. We don’t know if my nephew is ok or not.
“We’ve been calling his phone, texting him. They said their phones are locked up, they can’t have them at work.”
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‘SENSELESS ACT OF VIOLENCE’
A statement from FedEx chairman and CEO Frederick Smith described the incident as a “senseless act of violence”.
The statement said: “First and foremost, I want to express my deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and co-workers of those team members.
“Our priority now is in responding to the situation on the ground and helping our team members and law enforcement.”
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POLICE CALLED SCENE ‘CHAOTIC AND ACTIVE’
During Friday morning’s press conference, Deputy Chief Craig McCartt dubbed the scene as “chaotic and active” when officers responded.
However, McCartt insisted that the shooter was dead by the time cops arrived at the scene.
He went on describe the officers found the suspect with a “self inflicted gunshot wound.”
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THIRD MASS SHOOTING IN INDIANAPOLIS THIS YEAR
Thursday’s attack was the third mass shooting in Indianapolis this year.
Five people, including a pregnant woman, were shot and killed in the city in January, and a man was accused of killing three adults and a child before abducting his daughter during at argument at a home in March.
Elsewhere, eight people were fatally shot in massage businesses across Atlanta last month, and 10 people were shot in a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
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‘ANOTHER TRAGEDY’
Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana said after the shooting: “This is another heartbreaking day, and I’m shaken by the mass shooting at the FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett of Indianapolis condemned the “horrific news of yet another mass shooting, an act of violence that senselessly claimed the lives of eight of our neighbors.”
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GUN VIOLENCE IS A ‘NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT’, SAYS JOE BIDEN
President Joe Biden said gun violence is a “national embarrassment” that needs to stop.
He said more must be done to end gun violence and urged Congress to ban military-style assault weapons.
Mr Biden told a White House briefing on Friday: “Too many Americans are dying every single day from gun violence. It stains our character and pierces the very soul of our nation.
“Gun violence is an epidemic in America. But we should not accept it. We must act.”
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NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO SEE SCENES LIKE THIS, SAYS COP
Indianapolis police spokesperson Genae Cook told reporters after the shooting: “Today it is very heartbreaking and, you know, in the Annapolis Metro Police Department, the officers responded, they came in, they went in and they did their job.
“And a lot of them are trying to face this because this is a sight that no one should ever have to see.”
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HOLE WAS A FORMER FEDEX EMPLOYEEE
According to Indianapolis Deputy Chief Craig McCartt, Hole was a former FedEx employee, having last worked for the company in 2020.
McCartt said he did not know why Hole left the job, but family members told FOX59 he was fired.
Authorities said in a press conference on Friday that Hole was also arrested in 2013 – though it was not made clear for what reason.
McCartt said that investigators do not know the motive of the shooting, adding that the gunman carried out the shooting rampage with a rifle, which they do no know if he purchased legally.
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WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?
In a post by police on Friday evening, the victims were named by Marion County Coroner’s Office (MCCC) as: Matthew R Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jasvinder Kaur, 64; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Amarjit Skhon, 48; Karlie Smith, 19; and John Weisert, 74.
All eight victims were employees at the facility, police said, and Hole was a former FedEx employee.
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SHOOTER PICTURED
The shooter, identified as Brandon Scott Hole, 19, has been pictured for the first time.
Paul Keenan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis field office, said Hole had been questioned by agents last year, after a shotgun was seized from his residence.