Vigil for FedEx shooting victims held in Indianapolis as eight killed by Brandon Scott Hole are named
A VIGIL for the innocent victims of the FedEx shooting has taken place in Indianapolis.
A small crowd gathered in the afternoon to mourn after authorities released the names of the eight people killed by Brandon Scott Hole.
Read our Fedex shooting live blog below for the very latest news and updates…
A group of moms who lost their children to gun violence – named Purpose 4 My Pain – spoke at the vigil to reflect and pray together.
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.”
The mom and activist added: “To those who haven’t been impacted by gun violence directly as we have, I salute you for being here and wanted to stand up to this cause, this monster, this beast, this demon that is terrorising us.
“So I thank you and I appreciate you for joining us in this fight.
“We are doing this in the hope that you will never have to walk in our shoes.
“My heart just goes out to the mums and the families because when we see it, we hurt all over again.”
Other vigils are set to take place to honor the victims of the shooting, including one at 7pm.
It comes as photographs of some of the eight victims were revealed.
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.
The 19-year-old gunman had been interviewed by agents last year, when his mom expressed concerns and a shotgun was seized from the teenager’s home.
Indy Genesis, a homeschool athletic association based in the city, released images of one of its athletes, 19-year-old victim Samaria Blackwell.
According to one of her teammates, “Samaria was always smiling and cracking jokes. She was so loving, goofy, encouraging, and supportive.”
A GoFundMe campaign has now been set up to raise money for the Blackwell family.
A photograph of Amarajeet Kaur Johal, 66, was also circulated by a number of Sikh Facebook pages.
At least seven other people were injured during the rampage on Thursday night, which ended with the shooter turning the gun on himself.
It marks the latest in a string of mass shootings across America in recent weeks, also becoming the third mass shooting in Indianapolis this year.
On Friday, the FBI confirmed that it had interviewed Hole last year, after his mother called police to say that her son might commit “suicide by cop.”
The call was made in March 2020, and a shotgun was later seized from Hole’s residence, the FBI said in a statement.
VICTIMS NAMED
The suspected shooter had purchased the shotgun just 24 hours before he was arrested, according to reports.
Hole was then interviewed in April, when it was deemed that no racially motivated violent extremism (RMVE) ideology had been identified during the assessment.
When he was released, Hole was reportedly deemed no further threat to the community.
According to police, a gunman identified as Hole opened fire at a FexEx facility in Indianapolis on Tuesday night, killing eight people before turning the gun on himself.
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.
Following the shooting, family and friends said they struggled to reach loved ones at the facility who were not able to have their phones on them at work.
KNOWN TO AUTHORITIES
Throughout Friday morning, some expressed relief as they managed to contact loved ones, while others struggled to reach works, questioning FedEx’s policies.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the community must guard against resignation and “the assumption that this is simply how it must be and we might as well get used to it.”
President Joe Biden said he had been briefed on the shooting and called gun violence “an epidemic” in the U.S.
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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.
