INDIANAPOLIS — A permanent memorial is in place to honor and remember the victims killed in the mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility in 2021.
The memorial was unveiled to family and friends on Dec. 17, 2024.
It was nearly four years ago that a gunman shot and killed eight people at the FedEx Ground facility in the Ameriplex complex west of the Indianapolis International Airport, before killing himself.
Several others were injured in the incident.
In a statement shared with 13News, a FedEx spokesperson said in part: "Our goal with this memorial was to build a space that provides healing and is a beacon of hope, where people can gather to honor those affected, and consider the strength and resilience of the entire Indianapolis community.”
Here are the eight people who were killed in the mass shooting:
- Matthew R. Alexander, 32 years old
- Samaria Blackwell, 19 years old
- Amarjeet Johal, 66 years old
- Jasvinder Kaur, 50 years old
- Amarjit Sekhon, 48 years old
- Jaswinder Singh, 68 years old
- Karli Smith, 19 years old
- John Weisert, 74 years old
Investigation into mass shooting
The FBI and IMPD provided a final report on the incident several months after the shootings, but a motive was never determined.
The 19-year-old shooter arrived at the facility around 10:54 p.m. and had a conversation with security to ask about his employment status. He had been employed at the FedEx facility in 2020. He was told he could discuss his employment with management. He then told security he was going to his car to get his ID.
After sitting in his car for a short time, the shooter got out of the car and shot at an employee walking to the building. He then entered the building and fired at employees in the locker room area. He could not get past that area but did fire at employees in other areas.
The suspect then exited the building and fired at vehicles and people in the parking lot. While he was outside, another employee outside was able to get a weapon and fired a shot at the suspect, but he didn't hit the shooter. That employee then got in his car and left the area.
The shooter continued to fire at people outside the building for about three more minutes. He then went back into the building in the locker room area and took his own life around 11:08 p.m.
The FBI said the shooter thought he would have unrestricted access to the building, but instead, a security point kept him from getting into the building. He had planned the shooting for at least nine months. Federal agents believe he acted alone and no one else was aware of his plans.
Investigators said there was no reports of any incidents with the shooter and any other employees, and the reason his employment ended was because he stopped showing up for work.
Over 120 people were interviewed and 20 search warrants were executed following the shooting. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) was brought in to help in the investigative team’s effort to determine the shooter’s motivation for the attack. It assessed the attack was an act of suicidal murder in which the shooter decided to commit suicide in a way he believed would demonstrate his masculinity and capability while fulfilling a final desire to experience killing people. The FBI determined the shooter had been having suicidal thoughts in the months leading up to the shooting. He had also attempted suicide on more than one occasion.
The FBI reviewed the shooter's computer and found a small amount of Nazi World War II material had been viewed but did not find any evidence of bias in choosing his target.
Police said there was no indication of "racial bias" in the shooting.
It was determined the shooter considered other targets for an attack but chose the FedEx location because he was familiar with it and the pattern of activity at the site.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found the two rifles used by the shooter had been purchased legally in July and September of 2020.
When federal agents searched the shooter's home on the far east side of Indianapolis, 13News watched them remove a large box and computer equipment.
The suspect had a March 2020 run-in with police after his mother had called police, concerned he might attempt "suicide by cop." In that case, police seized a shotgun from the suspect, and the family said they would not seek the return of the gun.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office looked to see if the suspect could be deemed a dangerous person. The office said it was a single incident, and the individual was in the hospital for only a matter of hours before being released and that no medicine was prescribed.
Due to those factors and the family surrendering the gun, the prosecutor's office did not move forward with the red flag law to deem the suspect as dangerous.
