FedEx facility shooting kills 8 in Indianapolis

By Zamira Rahim, Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Aditi Sangal, Nick Thompson, Meg Wagner and Melissa Mahtani, CNN

Updated 9:57 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021
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4:18 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

Police still working to identify victims

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, making notifications to the family and then hopefully we will wrap up the processing of this crime scene here very shortly and be done at least with this portion of 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 a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.

Officials haven't released the names of victims.

4:15 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

There were at least 100 people in the FedEx facility during the shooting, police say

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.

"There were at least 100 people in the facility at the time of the incident. Many were changing shifts and were on their dinner break," McCartt said.
4:19 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

Authorities identify Indianapolis shooter

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 confirmed that Mr. Hole was a former employee at the facility, and he was last employed in 2020," McCartt said.

"We've recently identified him so now the work really begins trying to establish some of that and see if we can figure out some sort of motive in this, but we don't have that right now," he said.

3:54 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

Indianapolis shooter was former FedEx employee

From CNN's Curt Devine

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. 
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.  Jon Cherry/Getty Images

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 a FedEx facility near Indianapolis' main airport late Thursday, killing eight people, wounding several others and sending witnesses running before taking his own life.

3:12 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

Biden says "we can, and must, do more to reduce gun violence and save lives"

From CNN's Jason Hoffman

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.”

“God bless the eight individuals we lost and their loved ones, and we pray for the wounded for their recovery,” Biden wrote.

Read the tweet:

2:27 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

Authorities were warned about FedEx suspect's potential for violence in the past, sources say

From CNN's Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz

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 local authorities and 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 whether authorities had 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,” said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Deputy 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.

1:17 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

There have been at least 147 mass shootings in the US in 2021

From CNN's Melissa Alonso 

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

There have been at least 147 mass shooting incidents in 2021 in the US, according to data 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 GVA consider 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 can and will change with new or updated data. 

12:40 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

Officials are learning more about the shooting in Indianapolis. Here's what we know so far.

From CNN's Elise Hammond

Authorities work outside the FedEx facility in Indianapolis on Friday.
Authorities work outside the FedEx facility in Indianapolis on Friday. Michael Conroy/AP

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:

  • Four of the victims were found outside the FedEx facility, four were found inside, according to Craig McCartt, the deputy chief of criminal investigations for Indianapolis Police. The suspect was also found dead, in addition to those eight people.
  • Indianapolis police said they "have an idea" of who the shooter was, but did not formally identify him.
  • The FBI is helping law enforcement search the suspect's house, according to Paul Keenan, the special agent in charge.
  • Police believe the shooter was using a rifle, McCartt said. He said they "don't have the specifics on the weapon yet." Police earlier said the shooter started firing in the parking lot of the facility before entering the building.
  • McCartt said when officers arrived at the scene, "they found a very chaotic and active crime scene." Then, detectives arrived and started interviewing witnesses and the department's crime lab started processing the scene. A reunification site was set up at a nearby hotel.

What we still don't know:

  • Officials have not identified the victims. Alfarena McGinty, the chief deputy coroner at the Marion County Coroner's Office, said they are in the process of conducting their investigation, but they cannot enter the crime scene to confirm the victims' identity until all of the evidence has been collected.
  • There has not been a determination of motive. Paul Keenan, the FBI's special agent in charge in Indianapolis, said "it would be premature to speculate," but there is no further threats.

Reaction:

  • White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House is "horrified" by the shooting, adding that President Biden has been briefed on the incident.
  • Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the shooting ahead of her bilateral meeting with the Japanese prime minister saying, "this violence must end."
  • President Biden ordered flags at half-staff at the White House and called gun violence “an epidemic in America."

The timeline:

  • Officials say there is still a long way to go in the investigation. "There is a lot of work to do out there," McCartt said.
  • Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said he anticipates they will learn more about the shooting "in the coming days and weeks."
  • The Marion County Coroner's Office says it anticipates having the examinations of the victims done in the next 48 to 72 hours.

12:12 p.m. ET, April 16, 2021

Biden orders flags at half-staff at the White House following FedEx shooting

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.

"Last night and into the morning in Indianapolis, yet again families had to wait to hear word about the fate of their loved ones. What a cruel wait and fate that has become too normal and happens every day somewhere in our nation," Biden said in a statement. "Gun violence is an epidemic in America. But we should not accept it. We must act."

Read the President's full statement:

Vice President Harris and I have been briefed by our homeland security team on the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, where a lone gunman murdered eight people and wounded several more in the dark of night. 
Today’s briefing is just the latest in a string of tragedies, following closely after gunmen firing bullets in broad day light at spas in and around Atlanta, Georgia, a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and so many other shootings. 
While we await critical details about the shooting, its motivation, and other key information, once again, I have the solemn duty of ordering the flag lowered at half-staff at the White House, public buildings and grounds, and military posts and embassies, just two weeks after I gave the last such order.
It’s a mass shooting just a week after we met, in the Rose Garden, with families who lost children and dear friends as bullets pierced their bodies and souls in schools, a night club, in a car at a gas station, and a town meeting at a grocery store. And it came just the night before 14th anniversary of the shooting at Virginia Tech, in which a gunman murdered 32 people.
Last night and into the morning in Indianapolis, yet again families had to wait to hear word about the fate of their loved ones. What a cruel wait and fate that has become too normal and happens every day somewhere in our nation.
Gun violence is an epidemic in America. But we should not accept it. We must act.
Last week, I called on the Justice Department to better protect Americans from gun violence. I also urged Congress to hear the call of the American people – including the vast majority of gun owners – to enact commonsense gun violence prevention legislation, like universal background checks and a ban of weapons of war and high-capacity magazines.
Too many Americans are dying every single day from gun violence. It stains our character and pierces the very soul of our nation.
We can, and must, do more to act and to save lives.
God bless the eight fellow Americans we lost in Indianapolis and their loved ones, and we pray for the wounded for their recovery.