4 Sikhs Among 8 Killed In Mass Shooting At FedEx Facility In America's Indianapolis, Know Details

Indian Embassy in Washington DC also conveyed its condolences while assuring to provide all possible assistance to the victims

Officials load a body into a vehicle at the site of a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 16, 2021. A gunman has killed at least eight people at the facility before turning the gun on himself in the latest in a string of mass shootings in the country, authorities said. The incident came a week after President Joe Biden branded US gun violence an "epidemic" and an "international embarrassment" as he waded into the tense debate over gun control, a powerful political issue in the US. (Photo: Jeff Dean / AFP)

Washington: Four Sikhs are among the 8 people killed in the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the US state of Indianapolis, wherein five others were left injured.

Around 90 percent of the workers at this facility are reportedly Indian-Americans, most of them belong to the Sikh community.

A mass shooting took place at a FedEx facility in the US city of Indianapolis wherein multiple people were injured, police said on Friday. The incident occurred at the FedEx facility near the Indianapolis International Airport on Thursday night.

The gunman was identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole from Indiana who died by suicide after the shooting on early Friday morning, taking the death toll of the mass shooting to nine. 

"This is very heartbreaking. The Sikh community is devastated by this tragic incident," community leader Gurinder Singh Khalsa told news agency PTI after meeting family members of the FedEx employees.

Maninder Singh Walia, a community activist, indentified the four Sikhs who have died as Amarjt Kaur Sekhon (female), 48; Jaswinder Kaur (female), Amarjit Kaur Johal (female) and Jaswinder Singh (male). The age of the last three deceased is not yet confirmed.

Harpreet Singh Gill (male), 45, has received an injury near his skull and is hospitalised.

"He was the first to realize about the firing at FedEx. When he rushed outdoors, a bullet hit his skull. He is being operated as we speak," his brother-in-law said as reported by news agency ANI.

The Indianapolis Police have not yet released the names of those killed in the mass shooting.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris expressed condolences over the tragic incident.

"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," Biden said in a statement.

Indian Embassy in Washington DC also conveyed its condolences by stating, "We convey our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the shocking shooting incident at FedEx facility in Indianapolis and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured".

"The Consul General has spoken to the Mayor of Indianapolis, who has assured full support. We are closely monitoring the situation and remain ready to provide all possible assistance," the Embassy added.

The Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar also expressed his shock over the mass shooting.

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"Deeply shocked by the shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis. Victims include persons of Indian American Sikh community. Our Consulate General in Chicago in touch with Mayor and local authorities in Indianapolis as well as community leaders. Will render all possible assistance," he wrote on Twitter.

As per the data given in a report by AFP, gun violence claims the lives of nearly 40,000 people in the United States each year, more than half of them are suicides.

Gun control and regulation is a much-debated issue in the country with people being divided into political lines over it despite the shocking reports of gun violence every now and then.

(With inputs from agencies)