INDIANAPOLIS – By the time Indianapolis Metropolitan police arrived at the FedEx facility on Mirabel Road, the shooting was already over.
Eight people had been killed, and the gunman had taken his own life.
That’s the account Friday via investigators from IMPD and the FBI. The call came in before 11 p.m. Thursday of shots fired at the FedEx Ground facility.
Police believe the gunman, identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole, targeted his victims arbitrarily before killing himself.
The preliminary investigation showed the shooter came to the facility, got out of his vehicle, and started “shooting at random” in the parking lot. He then went inside, according to Deputy Chief Craig McCartt.
“What we did find was the suspect came to the facility, he got out of his car and pretty quickly started some random shooting outside the facility,” McCartt said. “There was no confrontation, no disturbance, he just randomly started shooting.”
McCartt, based on eyewitness accounts, said the shooting lasted “just a couple minutes.”
The gunman had shot and killed himself by the time police responded to the scene, according to investigators.
Responding officers encountered a “chaotic” crime scene with several people dead and said the gunman died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Four people were fatally shot inside and four were fatally shot outside. Four others were taken to area hospitals with injuries “consistent with gunshot wounds. Another was transported a hospital, although police didn’t say what injuries the individual sustained.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is lending its expertise and resources to the investigation, assisting IMPD in conducting searches and interviews.
So far one key question remains unanswered.
“Many of you have asked what the motive for the shooting was, but it would be premature to speculate on that motivation,” said FBI special agent in charge Paul Keenan.
Regardless of the motive, Indy’s mayor says those facts won’t heal the wounds caused by the senseless crime.
“Although we will learn more about this case in the coming days and weeks, no piece of information will restore the lives that were taken or the peace that was shattered,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.
Buses from IndyGo took employees to the Holiday Inn Express on Stansted Drive, where they waited to be reunited with their families
IMPD acknowledged frustration from employees, who said they didn’t have access to their phones at work and couldn’t contact loved ones to let them know they were safe.
“Indianapolis is a resilient community. This was a devastating blow,” said Hogsett. “I know in times of despair our residents will rally together and help one another make it through.”
So far the names of the people killed have not been released. Officials expect that to happen over the next 24 hours.
The Sikh Coalition issued a statement saying some of its community members were among the dead and injured:
We are also sad to share that we have learned that Sikh community members are among those killed and injured during the shooting. While we are unable to share more information about the victims at this time, we wanted to offer ourselves as a resource to you as you continue to report on this tragedy. We don’t yet have information about the motive or identity of the shooter, but given that Sikhs are among the victims and those injured, we fully expect that authorities should and will conduct a full investigation–including the possibility of bias as a factor.
The shooting marked the third mass casualty event in Indianapolis since January, including the Adams Street murders in January and the Randolph Street killings in March.
