On the evening of April 15, 2021, Amarjeet Johal, a 66-year-old woman of the Sikh faith, was ending her shift at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. A mother and grandmother, she worked to support her family and had picked up her paycheck, which was still in her hand when her life was tragically cut short. She was one of eight people killed in a mass shooting that shattered the lives of many and deeply impacted the local Sikh community, to which four of the victims belonged.
The
gunman, identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole, a former employee of the facility, began his attack in the parking lot before moving inside the building. He fired indiscriminately at employees, creating a scene of chaos and terror that lasted only a few minutes. Before police could confront him, Hole took his own life. The randomness of the attack left a community in shock, with many, including Johal's family, left to grapple with the sudden and violent loss. At the time of the shooting, it was reported that about 90 percent of the workers at that particular FedEx facility were members of the Sikh community.
In the aftermath, details about the shooter began to emerge. It was revealed that the FBI had interviewed Brandon Scott Hole in the year prior to the shooting after his mother had contacted law enforcement with concerns that he might attempt 'suicide by cop.' During that time, a shotgun was seized from him. Despite this prior interaction with law enforcement, Hole was able to legally purchase two semi-automatic rifles which he used in the attack. While an official motive for the shooting was not determined, the targeted location's large Sikh workforce prompted calls for investigators to consider bias as a potential factor. The investigation confirmed that Hole acted alone, and with his death at the scene, no arrests were made.
