'Act of violence' took mere minutes: How the FedEx mass shooting in Indianapolis unfolded

Indianapolis Star

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of the road the facility is on. It is Mirabel Road.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the name and age of 50-year-old Jasvinder Kaur based on information provided by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Police responded to reports of shots fired late Thursday night at the FedEx Ground Plainfield Operations Center on Indianapolis' southwest side near Indianapolis International Airport. Eight people were killed and five others were taken to the hospital with injuries, police said.

Here's a timeline of what happened on Mirabel Road.

Indianapolis shooter arrives at FedEx

According to police, an unnamed suspect begins shooting at people outside and inside the FedEx Ground-Plainfield Operations Center, 8951 Mirabel Road, Indianapolis late Thursday evening.

An officer overheard on police radio says he has a woman in a control room at FedEx claiming the shooter is still shooting at 11:08 p.m.

"We have many units en route," another officer reported about 11:13 p.m.

FedEx shooting in Indianapolis:Gunman parked car and began 'randomly' firing, police say

IMPD responds to Indianapolis shooting at FedEx

Upon arrival, officers discovered multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds Some are dead and some are wounded. Police say the incident lasted a matter of minutes.

According to police, the gunman got out of his car and quickly began randomly shooting before entering the FedEx building and eventually shooting himself before officers arrived.

Eight people were killed and five were injured in the shooting. Four of the victims were found inside and four were found outside. The injured victims were transported to local hospitals for treatment.

Word of FedEx shooting in Indiana spreads

Several hours after the shooting, family members of FedEx workers were directed to the Holiday Inn Express. Some arrived in their pajamas or with sleeping children.

By 7:30 a.m. Friday, some families were still awaiting word if their loved ones were safe.

“Nobody knew what was going on,” said Ashley Ladd, whose 22-year-old daughter works as a manager at the center.

Family members shared that FedEx's cell phone policy prohibits employees from having their phones on their person while working.

Officials respond to FedEx shooting

A statement released by Indianapolis City-County Councillor Ali Brown, a Democrat, made a plea for Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and legislative leaders to be proactive and take action to prevent future mass shootings.

Statements rolled in from Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Holcomb to Indiana legislators and the White House.

Hogsett referred to the shooting as "horrific news" and a senseless "act of violence."

President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and called the incident "a cruel wait and fate that has become too normal." Vice President Kamala Harris referenced the families affected by the shooting, "There is no question that this violence must end and we are thinking of the families that lost their loved ones.”

Press conference is called for FedEx shooting

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, a press conference was held by Mayor Hogsett, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Randal Taylor and FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan.

Few new details were available, as investigators were still working with the coroner's office to identify the victims and the suspect.

Police had "an idea" of the suspect's identity Friday morning and were trying to locate the suspect's residence.

Base on interviews at the scene, police believe there was "no confrontation with anyone" prior to the shooting and it's too early in the investigation to speculate on a motive.

FedEx Indianapolis shooting suspect identified

Authorities identified 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana as the suspect in the mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility Thursday night.

Two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter provided the identity to the Associated Press.

Hole was a former employee of FedEx, last employed at the site of Thursday's shooting in 2020.

FedEx Indianapolis victims identified

Indianapolis police have identified the eight people killed in the mass shooting Thursday evening at a FedEx center.

The Marion County Coroner's Office and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department provided the names on Facebook at 8:15 p.m. Friday.

Here are the victims:

Matthew R. Alexander, 32
Samaria Blackwell, 19
Amarjeet Johal, 66
Jasvinder Kaur, 50
Jaswinder Singh, 68
Amarjit Skhon, 48
Karli Smith, 19
John Weisert, 74

Information on the guns released

Officials with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Saturday that a trace of the two guns revealed that suspect Brandon Scott Hole, 19, legally bought the rifles in July and September last year.

IMPD said officials could not share where Hole bought the guns at the time, citing the ongoing investigation.

Witnesses told IMPD that Hole, a former FedEx employee, used both rifles during the massacre that began at 11 p.m.

Despite police seizing a shotgun from Hole previously, Indiana's red flag law did not prevent the massacre.

More on the guns used:Indiana's red flag law didn't stop Brandon Scott Hole from killing 8 people

Chris Sims is a digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.