Indianapolis: As new details emerge about the April 15 mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx Ground facility, which claimed the lives of 8 of its employees including four Sikhs, the Sikh Coalition called for investigators to look into possible racial motivations on the part of the shooter.
In a letter sent to FBI Agent in Charge Paul Keenan, IMPD Police Chief Randal Taylor, Indiana’s entire congressional delegation, Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana’s entire state legislature and Mayor Joe Hogsett, the group said investigators should look more closely at the shooter Brandon Hole’s possible interest in hate and white supremacy groups.
From its statement via Sikh Coalition Legal Director Amrith Kaur:
“A complete and thorough investigation – including determining the motives behind this attack and any connection Mr. Hole has to hate and white supremacy groups – is essential to providing justice and building trust between the Sikh community and local and federal law enforcement. A full and transparent recitation of those facts is also necessary to maintaining that trust moving forward. The reality is, even if Mr. Hole was a disgruntled employee due to the fact Sikh that employees were getting more hours than him or for any other reason, it is essential to connect the dots of all of his activities leading up to this tragic attack to fully understand the role racism, xenophobia, and white supremacy may have played in his alleged anger toward his former employer.”
IMPD interviewed Hole in March 2020 after police were called to his home because his mother feared he was suicidal. Police confiscated a shotgun; an officer discovered white supremacist websites on Hole’s computer.
In IMPD’s incident report, officers noted that Hole, upon being handcuffed, told officers to “please just turn the power strip off on my computer,” adding, “I don’t want anyone to see what’s on it.”
Hole underwent an evaluation and was eventually released without being prescribed any medicine, according to IMPD and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
IMPD forwarded the information to the FBI, which interviewed Hole in April 2020. The FBI said it didn’t find any “Racially Motivated Violent Extremism ideology” during its assessment.
“This information stands in confusing contrast to the statement released by FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan on Friday, April 16,” said Amrith Kaur. “Per Agent Keenan, ‘No Racially Motivated Violent Extremism ideology was identified during the course of the assessment’ in 2020. We now know that this statement does not accurately reflect all of the facts of this case, and are seeking full transparency by the investigating agencies. Additionally, to further this investigation, it is imperative that all witnesses to the shooting be interviewed by law enforcement immediately.” (For detailed report turn to Page 9)
