INDIANAPOLIS — Brandon Scott Hole, 19, took his own life after he first opened fire at an Indianapolis FedEx facility on Thursday, April 15, killing eight people and injuring five others.
The Marion County Coroner's office identified the victims as Matthew R. Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jaswinder Kaur, 64; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Amarjit Sekhon, 48; Karli Smith, 19; and John Weisert, 74.
Hole fired at random in the parking lot of the FedEx facility where he used to work on the southwest side of Indianapolis, confirmed IMPD Deputy Police Chief Craig McCartt. According to FedEx, Hole worked at the facility for only two months, from August to October in 2020.
He was terminated in October when he failed to return to work, according to IMPD.
Although a motive is still believed to be unfounded by authorities at this time, Hole had a history of mental health issues in his 19-years, according to his family.
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"We tried to get him the help he needed," a statement from the family read.
In March 2020, a pump-action shotgun was seized from Hole after Hole's mother reportedly contacted law enforcement because she was afraid he may try to commit suicide by cop — an incident in which a suicidal individual intentionally engages in criminal behavior with a lethal weapon toward police or civilians in an attempt to provoke officers to shoot the suicidal individual.
While clearing the upstairs of the house and securing the shotgun, an officer "observed what through his training and experience indicated" was white supremacist websites, according to a police report of the incident.
Hole told the officers he was feeling sad and depressed and would benefit from counseling, according to the police report. He was taken to Eskenazi Hospital.
A sergeant with IMPD's Intelligence Unit was notified of the content observed on his computer, according to the report.
According to FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan, Hole was immediately placed on a "detention mental health temporary hold" by IMPD. A month later, in April, Hole was interviewed by the FBI.
At the conclusion of his interview with the FBI, the agency determined that Hole did not have "Racially Motivated Violent Extremism" (RMVE) ideology and did not find any criminal violations.
Witnesses report seeing Hole use two assault rifles during the mass shooting, according to IMPD. The assault rifles were purchased legally by Hole, according to the state Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Hole legally bought his first assault rifle, an HM Defense HM15F, post-mental health hold in July, and his second, a Ruger AR-556, in September. There's no indication the weapons had any type of modifications.
It is unclear at this point where Hole purchased either of the weapons.
The mass shooter's family released a statement two days after the shooting, in which they apologized to the shooting victims' families and the Indianapolis community.
“We are devastated at the loss of life caused as a result of Brandon’s actions; through the love of his family, we tried to get him the help he needed. Our sincerest and most heartfelt apologies go out to the victims of this senseless tragedy. We are so sorry for the pain and hurt being felt by their families and the entire Indianapolis community."
