Newsman: Eight people were shot and killed and wounded several others in a mass shooting Thursday night at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, according to local authorities. That number did not include the gunman. At least five people were transported to the hospital in critical condition and three others with various gunshot injuries. Hospitals have also reported multiple walk-ins from the incident, the department said Friday morning in a statement. Alleged Gunman “has taken his own life” killing after at least eight people and five wounded Police said.
The mother of the gunman in the shooting at a FedEx facility told law enforcement in March 2020 that he might try to “commit suicide by cop,” the FBI Indianapolis office said in a statement.
FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said in a statement sent to CNN that the gunman, Brandon Hole, was placed on an immediate detention mental health temporary hold by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. He also said a shotgun was seized at Hole’s 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,” Keenan said in the statement. “The shotgun was not returned to the suspect.”
“When officers arrived at the FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport just after 11 p.m. local time, it was an active shooter situation,” Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Genae Cook said during a media briefing. It is unclear how many people have been shot at this time or all their conditions, but multiple victims have been transported to various hospitals in the area, Cook said. “This is a tragedy,” Cook added.
“This is a sight that no one should see,” Cook said during a media briefing. But there were also people who went or who were taken to hospitals privately, Cook said, and police were gathering information. No law enforcement officers were hurt, she added. Cook said it was too early to tell if the shooter was an employee of the facility, and that an investigation was underway. A motive was also unclear.
Gun violence in general has skyrocketed in recent years.There have been several mass shootings in the U.S. in recent weeks, including an April 8 shooting at a cabinet company facility in Bryan, Texas, that left one person dead and five others wounded.
The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that tracks gun violence in the U.S., found that more than 19,000 people died in gun homicides last year. This was the the highest yearly figure in more than two decades, up by nearly 25 percent from 2019.
The shooting was reported shortly after 11 p.m. and officers arrived to an active shooter incident, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Officer Genae Cook told reporters.
She said the gunman killed himself at the scene. A search found eight bodies, she added. Law enforcement officials and the mayor will brief the press at 10:30 a.m. today.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of our team members following the tragic shooting at our FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis,” FedEx said in a statement early Friday morning. “Our most heartfelt sympathies are with all those affected by this senseless act of violence. The safety of our team members is our top priority, and we are fully cooperating with investigating authorities.”
“And when I stand up, I see a man — a hooded figure — I was unable to see his face in detail however, ”a witness Levi Miller who work at the facility told to news media interview.
He said the man had a rifle “and he started shouting, and he started firing in random directions.” He couldn’t tell what the gunman was yelling. “I thought he saw me and so I immediately ducked for cover,” Miller said.
In a statement, FedEx said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of our team members following the tragic shooting at our FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis. Our most heartfelt sympathies are with all those affected by this senseless act of violence. The safety of our team members is our top priority, and we are fully cooperating with investigating authorities.”
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett offered prayers to “the families of those whose lives were cut short” and thanked the “city’s first responders for their tireless work overnight.”
“Their quick response provided critical aid to those injured in the shooting and brought a measure of calm to an otherwise chaotic scene,” he said in a tweet.
Family members were waiting at a nearby Holiday Inn Express hotel early Friday to hear if their loved ones were safe while police chaplains provided support, WTHR photojournalist Joe Fenton tweeted.
Last week, President Joe Biden announced a series of executive actions aimed at tackling what he called a national “epidemic.”
“Gun violence in this country is an epidemic and it is an international embarrassment,” Biden said at the time.
The president will be briefed on the shooting later this morning, Friday according to White House official to news media.. The White House chief of staff has been in touch with Indianapolis’ mayor, according to the official, who added that the Homeland Security advisor is in contact with law enforcement.
