FedEx facility shooting kills 8 in Indianapolis: Live updates | CNN (2024)

The investigation continues into a mass shooting in Indianapolis late Thursday that claimed the lives of eight people.

Here’s what we know:

Indianapolis Police has released the names of the deceased victims from Thursday night’s shooting.

The victims are:

A statement by IMPD says the next of kin has been notified by the Marion County Coroner’s Office.

The cause of death will be determined after autopsies are complete, according to the statement.

IMPD said the names of those injured are not being released.

President Biden urged Congress today to take swift action on gun reform, calling the ​recent episodes of gun violence that have roiled the nation a “national embarrassment.”

“It is a national embarrassment what’s going on,” said the President, speaking at a joint news conference with Japan’s prime minister.

Responding to a reporter’s question, Biden defended his administration’s agenda, saying he was able to pursue gun reform even while pushing for a major infrastructure spending focused on repairing the economy.

“I’ve never stopped supporting the ban on assault weapons and magazines that hold more than 10 bullets,” he said. “It doesn’t mean I can’t also be working at the same time on the economy and on Covid.”

Biden then urged the US Senate, which is narrowly controlled by Democrats, to take up House-passed legislation that would require background checks on all gun sales and transfers, among other initiatives.

“It’s not a question of my being able to set the agenda in the Senate as to what they will move to first, and so I continue and I strongly, strongly urge my Republican friends in the Congress, who even refuse to bring up the House-passed bill to bring it up now,” he said.

A photo of Brandon Hole released by the Indianapolis Police.

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 placedon 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.”

Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted on the shooting in Indianapolis, saying “our nation grieves with the families who lost loved ones in Indianapolis and we pray that those who were wounded recover quickly.”

Read her tweet:

Authorities are still working to identify the victims in Thursday’s shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, said Craig McCartt, the deputy chief of criminal investigations for Indianapolis Police.

“We’re to the point now where we’re identifying victims, makingnotifications to the family andthen hopefully we will wrap upthe processing of this crimescene here very shortly and bedone at least with this portionof the investigation,” he said.

What we know: Eight people were killed after a gunman opened fire outside and inside the facility.

The shooting is the country’s deadliest since 10 people were killed on March 22 at agrocery store in Boulder, Colorado.

Officials haven’t released the names of victims.

During the time of the mass shooting late Thursday in Indianapolis, there were at least 100 people inside the FedEx facility, Craig McCartt, the deputy chief of criminal investigations for Indianapolis Police, said during a news conference Friday afternoon.

The gunman in the shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, has been identified as 19-year-old Brandon Hole, according to Craig McCartt, the deputy chief of criminal investigations for Indianapolis Police.

“FedEx officials have confirmedthat Mr. Hole was a formeremployee at the facility, and hewas last employed in 2020,” McCartt said.

“We’ve recently identifiedhim so now the work reallybegins trying to establish someof that and see if we can figureout some sort of motive in this,but we don’t have that rightnow,” he said.

A police officer walks on the sidewalk near the crime scene in the parking lot of a FedEx Ground facility on April 16, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

FedEx declined to name the suspect, but spokesperson Jim Masilak told CNN, “We can confirm that the perpetrator was a former employee at the facility.”

“Further questions about the perpetrator should be direct to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department,” he added.

According to authorities, the gunman opened fire outside and inside aFedEx facility near Indianapolis’ main airport late Thursday,killing eight people, wounding several others and sending witnesses running before taking his own life.

President Biden tweeted on Friday afternoon after the Indianapolis mass shooting, writing that he and the vice president have been briefed and that the country “can, and must, do more to reduce gun violence and save lives.”

Read the tweet:

The suspect in the Indianapolis mass shooting was known to federal and local authorities prior to the attack. A family member of the suspected shooter reached out to authorities warning about the suspect’s potential for violence, according to three law enforcement sources briefed on the matter.

It was not clear when the warning was given but the outreach was followed up by both localauthoritiesand FBI, which opened a preliminary investigation into any possible threat, the sources said.

The FBI eventually closed their inquiry after concluding there wasn’t sufficient evidence to continue it, according to the sources who did not specify why federal investigators dropped the matter.

The suspect has not been publicly identified. The FBI is helping Indianapolis Metro Police Department “on the search of the suspects home,” the FBI special agent in charge Paul Keenan said at a Friday morning news conference.

Asked whetherauthoritieshad any indication this attack would occur, police said no.

“We’re still working with FedEx security for anything that might have been an indication this was going to happen right now,” saidIndianapolis Metropolitan Police DepartmentDeputy Chief Craig McCartt,at the same Friday briefing.

A spokesperson for the police department declined to comment about CNN’s reporting.

“Well once we positively identify who he is, we will be able to research further,” spokesperson Genae Cook said.

People walk out of a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, after a shooting there on Monday, March 22.

There have been at least 147 mass shootingincidentsin 2021 in the US, according todata from The Gun Violence Archive.

The Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a non-profit based out of Washington DC,is an independent research group not affiliated with any advocacy organization, according to its website.

CNN and GVAconsider an incident to be a mass shooting if four or more people are shot, wounded, or killed, excluding the gunman.

Since March 16, there have been at least 45 mass shootings across the nation,CNN has reported.

Note:This number is fluid.It canand will change with new or updated data.

Authorities work outside the FedEx facility in Indianapolis on Friday.

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Eight people and a gunman are dead following a shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis late Thursday. Several other people were also injured.

City leaders and law enforcement held a news conference Friday morning. Here’s what we learned:

What we still don’t know:

Reaction:

The timeline:

President Biden said he’s been briefed on the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis,Indiana, and is ordering flags at half-staff at the White House.

Read the President’s full statement:

White House press secretary Jen Psaki takes a question from a reporter on Friday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House is “horrified” by the shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, and added that President Biden has been briefed on the incident.

“Key aides, including the White House chief ofstaff and homeland securityadviser have been in touch withlocal leaders and lawenforcement officials on the ground,” she told reporters on Friday.

Paski also reminded that the President issued executive orders to address gun violence in the United States — stopping the proliferation ofghost guns and better regulating stabilizingbraces, making it easier forstates to implement red flaglaws; increasing investments in improving community violence intervention programs.

She also renewed the call for the Senate to speedily confirm David Chipman, Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and pass legislation to strengthen background checks and ban assault weapons and highcapacity magazines and immunityfor gun manufacturers.

Psaki said a statement from the President will be released shortly.

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Vice President Kamala Harris briefly addressed the deadly shooting in Indianapolis and said President Biden would address the incident later Friday.

Shortly before Harris’ comments, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration was “horrified” by the shooting.

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Alfarena McGinty speaks during a press conference on April 16.

Alfarena McGinty, the chief deputy coroner at the Marion County Coroner’s Office, said they are not able to identify any of the shooting victims yet, and the coroner’s office is “in the process of conducting our investigation.”

“What we typically have to do is waituntil all of the evidence hasbeen collected.We are not able to go on to thescene yet to confirm anyidentity,” she said.

Right now, McGinty said the coroner’s office is working with the police department’s Victim Assistance and Chaplin Office to gather information.

She explained how the state of Indiana specifies how victims are identified, adding, “that process will take a little bit of time.”

“We are still a number of hoursout before we are able to go onto the scene to conduct ourinvestigation, and then after that, we’ll workwith the families.Following that process, what wehave to do is we will perform ourexaminations,” she said, adding extra staff will be called in to complete those examinations in the next 48 to 72 hours.

Those investigations will confirm the actual cause of death, McGinty said.

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Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said just last week, he had joined 150 mayors across America and signed a letter to the US Senate asking to consider legislation that requires background checks when firearms are transferred between private citizens.

Earlier in the press conference, a police officer said he believed a rifle was involved in the shooting, although more details were not yet clear.

“My concern about the IndianaGeneral Assembly is I believethey only have three or fourdays left.We’ll make it clear to ourgovernor and to legislative leadership where Istand on these issues,” the Hogsett added.

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Police stand outside the Indianapolis FedEx facility on Friday morning.

Indianapolis police officers found four of the shooting victims outside the FedEx facility Thursday and another four inside the building, officials said this morning at a news conference.

Eight people died in the shooting, and the suspect took his own life, police said.

Police earlier said the shooter started firing in the parking lot of the facility before entering the building.

Indianapolis police are yet to formally identify the suspect in Thursday’s shooting but “have an idea” as to who the person is.

CraigMcCartt, deputy chief of investigations for Indianapolis police, said officers did have other leads on the shooter’s identity.

The FBI is assisting police officers with searching a suspect’s house, Paul Keenan, special agent in charge, said at a news conference Friday.

The shooter died of a self inflicted wound Thursday, after killing eight people during the incident.

Deputy Chief Craig McCartt with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police described what happened when officials arrived at the FedEx, but said “this investigation is still very much in its infancy” and officials are still working to figure out what happened.

He said officers responded to a call of shots fired at the facility. When they arrived “they found a very chaotic and active crime scene,” McCartt said.

McCartt said detectives then arrived and started interviewing witnesses. The department’s crime lab also responded and started processing the crime scene.

“That continues now and we’restill several hours from beingable to complete that at thistime.There is a lot of work to doout there,” he said.

The department’s Victim Assistance and Chaplin office came to help take employees, witness and families to the family reunification site that was set up at a nearby hotel, McCartt said.

“We continue to work with thoseemployees and families as wework through identification andspeaking with those families,” he said.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan.

With less than 12 hours since the shooting, “it would be premature to speculate on the motivation” of the suspect, FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said in a press conference on Friday.

However, there are no further threats, he added.

Keenan also detailed how the FBI is assisting on the incident’s investigation.

“FBI personnel are assistingthe crime scene,conducting interviews, assistingon the search of the suspect’shome and will provide anytechnical expertise requested bythe IMPD,” he said.

The FBI will “dedicate all availableresources to follow every leadand use all investigativecapabilities to seek this andbring closure for the families,” he added.

Right now, Indianapolis officials are holding a press conference after eight people were shot and killed and several others were injured at a FedEx facility late Thursday night.

Police say they believe the gunman killed himself.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor and FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan are all expected to speak.

Hogsett said that beyond comforting those who are grieving, “we must guard against resignation or even despair.”

“The assumption this is simplyhow it must be and that we mightas well get used to it.We need the courage compelscourageous acts that push pastweariness,” he added.

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Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita reacted to the overnight shooting in Indianapolis with a tweet from his verified Twitter account on Friday.

A crime lab technician works outside the Indianapolis FedEx facility on Friday, April 16.

The CEO and chairman of FedEX called last night’s shooting “devastating,” confirming the company lost eight team members.

“It is with a heavy heart that I write to you regarding the tragedy that occurred at our FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis last night,” Frederick W. Smith wrote in a letter to employees published Friday.

FedEx is working with staff in Indianapolis and police officers to reunite workers with their families.

The shooting incident at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, where eight people died, is the latest in a string of mass shootings in the US in just the past month.

Since March 16, when eight people were killed atthree Atlanta-area spas, the US has had at least 45 mass shootings from California to Washington, DC, CNN’s tally shows.

Some context: CNN considers an incident to be a mass shooting if four or more people are shot, wounded or killed, excluding the gunman.

Here ‘s a look at some of these many shootings:

Read the full list here.

Here’s where some of these shootings occurred:

A gunman opened fire outside and inside a FedEx facility in Indianapolis late last night, killing eight people and wounding several others before killing himself, police said.

CNN’s Jason Carroll will be live in Indianapolis with the latest. What questions do you have? Leave them in the form below.

President Biden speaks from the East Room of the White House on Thursday, April 15.

PresidentBidenwill be briefed Friday morning on ashooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facilitythat left at least eight people dead, a White House official told CNN.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain has already been in communication with Indianapolis’ mayor, and Biden’s homeland security adviser, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, is also in touch with law enforcement, according to the official.

Some background: The shooting in Indianapolis is the latest in a recent spate of mass shootings across the country and comes a little more than a week afterBiden unveiled several actionshis administration would be taking to curb the level of gun violence in the US.

Biden’s recently unveiled executive actions include efforts to restrict weapons known as “ghost guns” that can be built using parts and instructions purchased online. The actions are limited in scope and Biden said they are initial steps to address gun violence.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said today is “another heartbreaking day and I’m shaken by the mass shooting at the FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis.”

“In times like this, words like justice and sorrow fall short in response for those senselessly taken.Our thoughts are with the families, friends, coworkers and all those affected by this terrible situation,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Eight people were killed, five people were transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds and two others were treated at the scene and released, the Indianapolis Metro Police Department said in a statement Friday morning.

“Today, I will order that flags be lower(ed) to half-staff from now until sunset on Tuesday, April 20 in remembranceof those we’ve lost,” Holcomb added.

Read Holcomb’s statement:

Families gather and wait to hear information about their loved ones in Indianapolis on April 15.

Families are still attempting to contact loved ones who were in the FedEx facility at the time of Thursday’s mass shooting according to the Indianapolis Metro Police Department (IMPD).

The scene is still active, IMPD said, so a Family Unification Centerwas opened up at a nearby hotel.

IMPD Deputy Chief Craig McCartt told CNN that some employee families faced frustration because they were not able to get in touch with their loved ones.

“We ask all to respect the privacy of these families during this very difficult and emotional time,” IMPD told CNN.

Indiana Rep. Andre Carson — who represents the 7thDistrict of Indiana, which including Indianapolis — said “the pain we feel isn’t new” in a tweet posted Friday morning.

“Hoosiers are waking up to the news of the horrible mass shooting here in Indianapolis,”the Democrat wrote.

FedEx said it was “deeply shocked and saddened” after a shooting at a facility in Indianapolis killed at least eight people late last night.

In a tweet, FedEx called the shooting a “senseless act of violence.” The company added that it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) has updated the number of injures and transports following an overnight shooting at the Fedex Ground-Plainfield Operation Center in Indianapolis.

In total, five people were injured and taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, two others were treated at the scene and released, and eight people were killed, IMPD said in a news release on Friday morning.

Overnight, IMPD spokesperson Genae Cook had initially given different numbers for those transported and treated on the scene.

The victim’s names and information have not been released yet. TheMarion County Coroner’s Office (MCCO) will determine the cause of death and released the names of those killed once their families have been notified the press release said.

Indiana Senator Mike Braun took to Twitter early Friday morning, responding to the “tragedy” of the shooting and praising police officers at the scene.

“Our hearts are mourning for the individuals who’ve senselessly lost their lives, all of their loved ones, and their co-workers at FedEx who will be dealing with this tragedy for a long time to come,” he wrote, adding that law enforcement had responded “heroically” to the shooting.

Police respond to the scene of a shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

Indianapolis police officers responded to an active shooter situation late Thursday night. Here’s what we know.

At least eight people are dead

Eight people were killed at a FedEx facility near Indianapolis’ main airport. Officers found the deceased both inside and outside the facility.

A further five people are hospitalized with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. Others walked themselves to various hospitals in the area. Indianapolis police are still working to confirm exactly how many people have been injured.

The shooting lasted between one to two minutes, according to Craig McCartt, the deputy chief of criminal investigations for Indianapolis police.

Suspect’s motive is unclear

The suspect took his own life shortly after police arrived at the scene, McCartt said.

Officers are still working to ascertain the shooter’s motive.

McCartt told CNN that the force believed the shooter had a rifle but it was unclear how many guns he had.

Families scrambling to reach loved ones

FedEx and local police officers are trying to reunite family members with FedEx employees.

The reunification effort has been complicated by the fact that workers do not carry cell phones wile working. McCartt told CNN that families had experienced a night of frustration and uncertainty.

A number of FedExemployees have gathered at a local Holiday InnExpress, waiting to reconnect with their families.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. ET today to provide more information.

There will be a news conference at 10:30 a.m. ET in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The FBI told CNN that Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan will attend the press conference as they are assisting police on the investigation into the overnight shooting at a FedEx facility that left eight people dead.

The mayor of Indianapolis has condemned the shooting at the FedEx facility and said his prayers were with the families of the victims.

“This morning, Indianapolis residents are confronted with the horrific news of yet another mass shooting, an act of violence that senselessly claimed the lives of eight of our neighbors,” Joe Hogsett tweeted early Friday.

Hogsett also 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.”

The FBI is assisting Indianapolis police with their investigation of the shooting at a FedEx facility.

FBI public affairs specialist Chris Bavender told CNN that along with assisting police, they will “be looking for any federal nexus as well.”

Bavender saidthe agency would be at a morning news conference later today in Indianapolis.

President Joe Biden will be briefed Friday on the shooting in Indianapolis, a White House official tells CNN.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain has already been in communication with Indianapolis’ mayor.

At least eight people are dead after the shooting late Thursday night. A further five people have been taken to local hospitals for treatment.

A number of FedExemployees are at anotherlocation, waiting to be reunited with their family after the shooting incident at their Indianapolis facility on late Thursday night.

Family members await information about their loved ones who work at the FedEx facility.

Officers and FedEx are working to reunite employees with their families but a policy where the company’s employees do not carry cell phones while working has complicated the reunification effort, according to Craig McCartt, the deputy chief of criminal investigations for Indianapolis police.

CraigMcCartt, deputy chief of investigations for Indianapolis police, told CNN that officers do not yet know if the shooter was a FedEx employee.

He said officers were aware of reports the shooter had more than one gun, but could not yet confirm that detail.

According to the investigator, the suspect started shooting immediately after exiting his vehicle outside the facility.

The violence did not appear to have been prompted by a disturbance or altercation, McCartt added.

The FedEx shooting “probably only lasted one to two minutes,” the deputy chief of criminal investigations for Indianapolis police told CNN early Friday morning.

“It was very short,” Craig McCartt said, adding that the suspect exited his vehicle and immediately began shooting while in the parking lot.

According to McCartt, the suspect entered the facility and continued shooting.

Police officers then arrived at the scene.

McCartt said he believed the suspect encountered police officers inside the facility and then took his own life.

Officers found eight deceased people both inside the building and in the parking lot.

McCartt said officers were still working to confirm the identity of both the victims and the shooter.Officers and FedEx are working to reunite employees with their families.

He said a policy where FedEx employees do not carry cell phones while working had complicated the reunification effort.

Watch the full interview:

The scene at the Indianapolis FedEx facility.

Police officers in Indianapolis are still working to determine the total number of people injured during the shooting, CNN’s Jason Carroll said Friday.

He said it was clear that some of the injured were “walking wounded” who took themselves to various hospitals in the area.

Due to the group going to different hospitals, officers are still working to determine how many people were shot.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has said at least eight people with gunshot wounds died at the scene.

At least four people have been transported to the hospital from the scene with gunshot wounds.

One of the wounded is in a critical condition, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) spokespersonGenae Cooksaid at an early morning press briefing.

Three others were transported to the hospital with various injuries and two people were treated by medical personnel and released at the scene, Cook added.

At least eight people were killed in Thursday’s mass shooting at the FedEx ground facility near Indianapolis International Airport.

Others have been travelling by themselves to hospitals in the nearby area.

Cook said the IMPD was leading the investigation into the shooting and was working with detectives from the Indiana State Police to interview witnesses at the scene and at the hospitals. The force anticipates that the FedEx building will be closed for a while as investigators gather evidence.

Read more here:

FedEx employees Timothy Boillat and Jeremiah Miller.

Two employees who say they were at the FedEx ground facility when they heard gunshots shared details of the incident with CNN affiliate WISH.

Jeremiah Miller told WISH he was taking a break between shifts when he heard two, then three shots.

He first thought the sounds were coming from a car.

Miller said he then heard between six and 10 shots which made him stand and look at the entrance door.

Miller and his co-worker Timothy Boillat said they told colleagues about the shooting.

Miller said the pair told other employees “to not go to work today and to know there was an incident that just happened.”

Police arrived at the scene of the shooting at around 11:00 p.m. local time to an active-shooter situation and entered the facility without hesitation, said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Genae Cook.

Police are asking anyone who was at the scene and may have left for safety or for medical treatment to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police to provide information on the shooting.

Rep. Andre Carson wears a protective mask during a House Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on April 15.

Indiana Congressman Andre Carson, who represents the 7th District of Indiana, includingIndianapolis, tweeted his condolences for the victims’ loved ones in a statement early Friday morning.

The scene outside a FedEx facility after a shooting in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 16.

Law enforcement were informed of a “mass casualty situation” at a FedEx facility located at 8951 Mirabel Road in Indianapolis late Thursday night.

Two employees inside the building at the time told CNN affiliate WISH-TV that they heard as many as ten gunshots.

At first Jeremiah Miller and Timothy Boillat thought the sound was from a car, but after hearing more, Miller stood up and saw a man with a weapon, he told the station.

The two men left the building and watched about 30 police cars arrive to respond, Boillat said.

Highway shut: The major nearby highway, the I-70, was closed in both direction between I-465 and the Ronald Reagan Parkway due to the police activity, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine. “Please seek alternate routes,”he tweeted.

The highway was reopened, although there remains no access to Ameriplex Parkway from either direction, he later tweeted.

In a statement, FedEx said it was aware of the “tragic shooting” at the Indianapolis facility.