On April 15, 2021, a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

occurred at a

FedEx Ground FedEx Ground Package System, Inc., also known simply as FedEx Ground, is an American Cargo#Road, ground package delivery company headquartered in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. It is a subsidia ...

facility in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, Indiana, United States. Nine people were killed, including the gunman, 19-year-old former employee Brandon Scott Hole, who committed suicide. Seven others were injured, including four by gunfire. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in the history of Indiana.

Background

The FedEx facility where the shooting occurred is located in the southwestern part of the city, near

Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority, and the airport serves over 5 ...

. The building is equipped with metal detectors and security turnstiles at its entrance requiring the employees to scan their FedEx badges. There were at least 100 people in the facility at the time of the shooting, and many of them were changing shifts or on lunch breaks.

Events

Hole drove to the facility, arriving during a shift change. He first went into the building and spoke with security, then returned to his vehicle. According to Indianapolis police, Hole began firing at employees in the parking lot with a

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

shortly after exiting his vehicle again. He then proceeded to the facility's entrance, where he resumed shooting. Hole tried to progress further into the building, but was blocked by a full-height

turnstile A turnstile (also called a gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce One-way traffic#One-way traffic of people, one-way ...

. He fired shots at employees at the other side of the turnstile before exiting the building. Hole started firing at employees in the parking lot again. An employee fired at Hole with his own handgun but missed. Hole eventually walked back into the building to commit suicide. The shooting lasted less than four minutes. A witness reported hearing him yelling but could not understand what he was saying. According to other witnesses, people inside the facility were unable to contact help due to the company's policy against personal cell phones. Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene shortly after 11:00p.m. local time. Hole had killed himself inside the facility before they arrived. An audio recording of the police dispatch indicated that Hole was found with two rifles.

Victims

There were nine fatalities in the shooting, including Hole. Their ages ranged from 19 to 74 years old. Four victims were found dead outside the facility, and another four were found dead inside. Four of the victims were

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

s. According to the local police chief, about 90% of workers at the facility were members of the local Sikh community. Four other people were taken to the hospital, including one who was in critical condition; all of them suffered gunshot wounds. A fifth person sought treatment in another county, while two others were treated at the scene and released. The following were killed in the shooting: Matthew Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jasvinder Kaur, 50; Amarjit Sekhon, 48; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Karli Smith, 19; and John Weisert, 74.

Perpetrator

Police identified the gunman as Brandon Scott Hole (August 20, 2001 – April 15, 2021), a 19-year-old Indianapolis resident and former FedEx employee. Hole had worked at the FedEx facility from August to October 2020 before being terminated for

absenteeism Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation without good reason. Generally, absenteeism refers to unplanned absences. Absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an ...

. Following the shooting, authorities conducted a search of his home and seized evidence, including electronics. While an investigation of archived content from Hole's deleted

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

accounts did not reveal a motive, it did indicate he was a " brony", a term used to describe a male fan of the children's television series '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic''. Less than an hour before the shooting, Hole posted to Facebook: "I hope that I can be with Applejack in the afterlife, my life has no meaning without her. If there's no afterlife and she isn't real then my life never mattered anyway." The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI) concluded that the shooting was "an act of suicidal murder" intended to "demonstrate his masculinity and capability while fulfilling a final desire to experience killing people." Hole had been diagnosed with several behavioral disorders starting in the fourth grade and had undergone

behavioral therapy Behaviour therapy or behavioural psychotherapy is a broad term referring to clinical psychotherapy that uses techniques derived from behaviourism and/or cognitive psychology. It looks at specific, learned behaviours and how the environment, or oth ...

sessions for them. He was diagnosed with a disruptive behavior disorder and

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause phys ...

at the age of ten, and diagnosed with

autism spectrum disorder Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...

in 2015. His behavior in childhood deteriorated to a point where police had to be called to the home on at least two occasions, and where he could not attend school and graduate. In March 2020, Hole's mother contacted the local authorities and warned them about her son's intent to die by

suicide by cop Suicide by cop (SbC), also known as suicide by police or law-enforcement-assisted suicide, is a suicide method in which a suicidal individual deliberately behaves in a threatening manner with intent to provoke a lethal response from a public sa ...

and his purchase of a .410

Mossberg 500 The Mossberg 500 is a series of pump-action shotguns manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons. The 500 series comprises widely varying models of hammerless repeaters, all of which share the same basic receiver and action, but differ in bore size, ...

pump-action shotgun Pump action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by moving a sliding handguard on the gun's forestock. When shooting, the sliding forend is pulled rearward to eject any expended cartridge and typically to cock the hammer or s ...

the day before, prompting an investigation to be opened. Police responded to the home and took him to a hospital. While being placed in handcuffs, Hole told the officers to turn off his computer, since he did not want anyone to see what was on it. An officer went upstairs to seize the shotgun and observed what he identified as

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

websites on Hole's computer in the process. Hole was placed in an "immediate detention mental health temporary hold" by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, but he was released after less than two hours. In April 2020, the FBI questioned Hole about the websites. The investigation was later closed due to insufficient evidence of any criminal violation or a racially motivated extremist ideology held by Hole, though the shotgun was not returned to him. According to the police, Hole used two AR-15 style rifles in the shooting, and both of them were legally purchased from a licensed gun store in July and September 2020. Under Indiana's

red flag law In the United States, a red flag law (named after the idiom red flag meaning “warning sign“; also known as a risk-based gun removal law,Reena Kapoor, Elissa Benedek, Richard J. Bonnie, Tanuja Gandhi, Liza Gold, Seth Judd, Debra A. PinalsRes ...

, Hole could have been prevented from making firearm purchases for at least six months after his temporary mental health detainment if a hearing had been scheduled with a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

fourteen days after the seizure of his shotgun. However, Marion County

prosecutors A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...

decided not to schedule such a hearing, believing authorities had already achieved the law's objective since Hole's family did not want the seized shotgun back. Prosecutor Ryan Mears also said that if his office had proceeded with the hearing and lost, given Hole had been treated by medical professionals but not prescribed any medication, they would have been forced to return the shotgun to him. The police did not reveal where Hole had bought the rifles used in the shooting, instead saying the investigation was still ongoing.

Aftermath and reactions

On April 16,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

ordered flags to be flown at

half-staff Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a sal ...

. He and Vice President

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

released statements expressing their condolences with the victims' families. Later, during a press conference with Japanese

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Yoshihide Suga is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2020 to 2021. He had served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the second administration ...

, Biden decried the recent string of

mass shootings in the United States Mass shootings are incidents involving multiple victims of Gun violence in the United States, firearm related violence. Definitions vary, with no single, broadly accepted definition. One definition is an act of public firearm violence—exclud ...

as a "national embarrassment" and called on

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

to ban military-style

assault weapon In the United States, ''assault weapon'' is a controversial term applied to different kinds of firearms. There is no clear, consistent definition. It can include semi-automatic firearms with a detachable magazine, a pistol grip, and sometime ...

s and large-capacity ammunition magazines. On April 18, Hole's family apologized to the victims' families for his actions. On April 20, Governor

Eric Holcomb Eric Joseph Holcomb ( ; born May 2, 1968) is an American politician who served as the 51st governor of Indiana, from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2016 to 2017 as the 51st Lieuten ...

announced his intention to restore full funding for mental health services and bolster it over the next two years. Democratic state politicians made calls to review and strengthen the red flag law, but this was put on hold after the 2021 legislative session ended on April 22. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said the incident was deeply shocking and offered all possible assistance, as some of the victims were of Indian origin. Since four of the victims were members of the Sikh community and Hole had browsed white supremacist websites in the past, the

Sikh Coalition The Sikh Coalition is a Sikhism in the United States, Sikh-American non-profit advocacy group that defends Sikh civil rights founded in 2001 with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Fremont, California. The Sikh Coalition, was origina ...

, a Sikh-American advocacy group, called on authorities to investigate whether bias played a role in the shooting. On April 17, more than 200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil at Indianapolis's Krannert Park. The event included remarks from

Joe Hogsett Joseph Hadden Hogsett (born November 2, 1956) is an American attorney, prosecutor, and politician who is the 49th mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to being elected mayor, Hogsett served as the secretary of state of Indiana from 1989 to 1994 ...

, mayor of Indianapolis;

Vop Osili Samuel Ifeanyi "Vop" Osili Jr. (born 1963) is a Democratic politician from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a member of the Indianapolis City-County Council from the 11th district, in the northwestern portion of Center Township. Since February 2018 ...

, president of the

Indianapolis City-County Council The City-County Council of Indianapolis and Marion County is the legislative body of the combined government of the city of Indianapolis and the county of Marion in the state of Indiana. The council was established as part of the consolidation ...

; Randal Taylor, chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department; and

André Carson André Darryl Carson (born October 16, 1974) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the northern four-fifths of Indianapolis, including Downtown Ind ...

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for

Indiana's 7th congressional district Indiana's 7th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is entirely located within Marion County and includes most of Indianapolis, except for the southern side, which is located within the 6th distric ...

. Numerous vigils and memorial services were held in the days and weeks following the shooting. On April 19, FedEx established a

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the ...

campaign through the

National Compassion Fund The National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information, resources, and advocacy for victims of all types of crime, as well as the people who serve them. The National Cente ...

to collect donations supporting survivors and the families of victims. FedEx contributed $1 million to the fund. Following the shooting, attention was directed at Indiana's red flag law for its requirements to prohibit someone from owning a firearm, which was not carried out when authorities seized a shotgun from Hole; this allowed him to purchase the guns he used in the shooting. The Indiana Fraternal Order of Police criticized Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears for sidestepping the process and "

ailing Ailing may refer to: * ailing in health, see ail (health) * Ailing (Chinese name) (♀; given name; aka ''Ai-ling''), several Chinese female given names * Charles Ailing Gifford (♂; 1860–1937) U.S. architect * Ailing Dojčin (♂) culture hero ...

to do his part", while Mears criticized the red flag law for having too many "loopholes". FedEx's no-phone policy, which seemed to prevent people from contacting employees at the facility during the shooting, was also scrutinized. On April 23, 2022, eight trees memorializing the victims were planted at Arsenal Park in Indianapolis. The planting was sponsored by the Sikh Coalition and hosted by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and the Eway Foundation. On April 13, 2023, victims and families of the shooting filed a lawsuit against the U.S. distributor of the high-capacity magazine (60 rounds) used in the assault, American Tactical Inc., two company executives, and the German manufacturer, Schmeisser GmbH.