INDIANAPOLIS (NewsNation Now) — The names of the eight victims killed in Thursday’s mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility were released Friday evening.
Indianapolis Police Deputy Chief Craig McCartt said four of the victims were killed outside the building and another four inside while many employees were on a shift change or dinner break. At least five more victims were taken to the hospital for wounds from the shooting.
Officials said the mass shooting was committed by a 19-year-old former employee, Brandon Scott Hole, who had been reported to police before.
Identities of the 8 killed in the Indianapolis FedEx shooting:
Matthew R Alexander, 32
Samaria Blackwell, 19
Amarjeet Johal, 66
Jaswinder Kaur, 64
Jaswinder Singh, 68
Amarjit Skhon, 48
Karli Smith, 19
John Weisert, 74
Police Chief Randal Taylor noted that a “significant” number of employees at the FedEx facility are members of the Sikh community, and the Sikh Coalition later issued a statement saying it was “sad to confirm” that at least four of those killed were community members.
The coalition, which identifies itself as the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the U.S., said in the statement that it expected authorities to “conduct a full investigation — including the possibility of bias as a factor.”
Smith, the youngest of the victims, was last in contact with her family shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, family members said in social media posts late Friday. Dominique Troutman, Smith’s sister, waited hours at the Holiday Inn for an update on her sister. “Words can’t even explain how I feel. … I’m so hurt,” Troutman said in a Facebook post Friday night.
The granddaughter of Amarjeet Johal sent NewsNation affiliate WXIN-TV the following statement:
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.
KOMAL CHOHAN
“You deserved so much better than this,” a man who identified himself as the grandson of Johal tweeted Friday evening. Johal had planned to work a double shift Thursday so she could take Friday off, according to the grandson, who would not give his full name but identifies himself as “Komal” on his Twitter page. Johal later decided to grab her check and go home, and still had the check in her hand when police found her, Komal said.
“(What) a harsh and cruel world we live in,” he added.
This story will be updated as we learn more about the victims.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.