US FedEx mass shooting: 4 Sikhs among 8 dead

Washington, Apr 17: At least eight people, including four Sikhs, were killed and five others were left injured in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the US state of Indiana, according to community leaders.

The gunman, identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana, died by suicide after the shooting on early Friday morning, taking the toll to nine.

About 90 per cent of the workers at this delivery service facility are said to be Indian-Americans, mostly from the local Sikh community.

"This is very heart breaking. The Sikh community is devastated by this tragic incident," community leader Gurinder Singh Khalsa told PTI over the phone after meeting family members of the employees of the FedEx facility.

Maninder Singh Walia, community activist, said the four Sikhs who have died are Amarjt Kaur Sekhon (female), 48, Jaswinder Kaur (female), Amarjit Kaur Johal (female) and Jaswinder Singh (male).

Harpreet Singh Gill (male), 45, has received an injury and is hospitalised. The Indianapolis Police is yet to release the names of those killed in the mass shooting.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris expressed condolences over the tragic killings.

"Vice President Harris and I have been briefed by our homeland security team on the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, where a lone gunman murdered eight people and wounded several more in the dark of night," Biden said in a statement.