Four Sikhs, including a grandmother, among 8 killed in Indianapolis FedEx mass shooting

By Asia Samachar Team | United States |

At least four Sikhs, including a 64-year old grandmother, were among those killed in a Thursday night shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis that claimed the lives of eight workers, according to initial reports.

“Out of eight, four are Sikh community members,” businessman Gurinder Singh Khalsa, who identified himself as a leader of the local Sikh community, told Reuters. He said he had spoken with the families of those killed.

Deputy Chief Craig McCartt on Friday afternoon identified the gunman as 19-year-old Brandon Hole, who was last employed by FedEx in 2020, reported CNN. Hole was found dead of a gunshot wound that appeared to be self-inflicted, McCartt said.

In a statement, US-based Sikh Coalition said it was ‘deeply saddened’ to confirm that at least four Sikh community members are among those killed in the mass shooting.

“Sadly, we acknowledge that this number is subject to change for the worse as more information becomes publicly available and those who were injured are treated at area hospitals,” according to the US-based Sikh Coalition in a statement.

“I am heartbroken to confirm that my naniji (maternal grandmother), Amarjeet Kaur Johal, is among those killed in the senseless shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis,” the Sikh Coalition statement quoted community member Komal Chohan. “We are still working to identify others who were injured and killed on Thursday night. I have several family members who work at the particular facility and are traumatized. My nani, my family, and our families should not feel unsafe at work, at their place of worship, or anywhere. Enough is enough–our community has been through enough trauma.”

“I have sat with families from our community and so many others at the Holiday Inn Express as they wait to hear the fates of their loved ones,” said community member Maninder Singh Walia. “These kinds of violent attacks are a threat to all of us. Our community has a long road of healing–physically, mentally, and spiritually–to recover from this tragedy.”

Sikh Coalition Executive Director Satjeet Kaur said: “While we don’t yet know the motive of the shooter, he targeted a facility known to be heavily populated by Sikh employees, and the attack is traumatic for our community as we continue to face senseless violence. Further traumatizing is the reality that many of these community members, like Sikhs we have worked with in the past, will eventually have to return to the place where their lives were almost taken from them.”

For more than 125 years, Sikhs have been an integral part of the American fabric. Although Sikhs began settling in Indiana more than 50 years ago, the first gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) was established in 1999. In the last two decades, the Sikh population around Indianapolis has experienced significant growth; today, there are 10 gurdwaras across the state and an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Sikh Americans who have made Indiana their home, the statement added.

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