Brandon Scott Hole was identified as the gunman in the Indianapolis, Indiana, FedEx mass shooting.
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Brandon Scott Hole: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
- Updated Apr 16, 2021 at 2:09pm
GettyBrandon Scott Hole is the FedEx suspect
Brandon Scott Hole was identified as the 19-year-old mass shooter who stormed into an Indianapolis, Indiana, FedEx Ground facility on April 16, 2021.
At least 8 people are dead and several others were injured, including at least four with gunshot wounds.
“Law enforcement sources confirm to @PeteWilliamsNBC that the Indianapolis gunman was [19] year old Brandon Scott Hole,”
wrote NBC’s Antonia Hylton on Twitter. The network was the first to break the name, which authorities have not formally released.
The mass shooting broke out near the
Indianapolis airport. Terrifying reports emerged of people hiding by conveyor belts and being shot in an office and parking lot by a shooter armed with a rifle or machine gun. It later turned out the weapon was a .223 caliber rifle, according to dispatch audio.
Authorities described the situation as an “active shooter” incident at one point on the scanner.
CNN described a “mass casualty” incident at the facility on the southwest side of the city.
Police spokeswoman Genae Cook said the shooting broke out just after 11 p.m. at the FedEx facility at 8951 Mirabel Road. Cook said, “They responded on the report of shots being fired at that business. As officers arrived they came into contact with an active shooter incident.” Police said they believe the shooter took his own life. Multiple people have what appears to be gunshot injuries and others were taken to area hospitals.
“What we are left with this morning is grief,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. He thanked the first responders who responded to the scene.
Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor said, “This morning for the third time since January, our community woke up to news of a senseless crime. It’s unacceptable. Our officers went toward danger. When they arrived at the scene, they found something that really no one should see. We’ve all been shaken by this heinous act.” Taylor described FedEx as a major employer in Indianapolis.
He said police may never really know “the ins and outs of why this occurred, but we will do our best.” A deputy chief said authorities found preliminarily that the suspect “came to the facility and when he came there, he got out of his car and pretty quickly began some random shooting outside the facility.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Authorities Were Warned About Brandon Hole Before, Reports Say
CNN’s Ana Cabrera reported that the suspect, Brandon Scott Hole, was on authorities’ radar before the mass shooting.
“Authorities were warned about FedEx suspect’s potential for violence in the past, sources say,” she wrote on Twitter. “The suspect in the Indianapolis mass shooting was known to federal and local authorities prior to the attack.”
Cabrera added, “A family member of the suspected shooter reached out to authorities warning about the suspect’s potential for violence, according to three law enforcement sources briefed on the matter.”
At one point in the initial police dispatch audio, which you can listen to later in this article, dispatchers said the suspect was described as a “white male wearing a hat” or hoodie and carrying a rifle type weapon.
“We have an active shooter currently at FedEx. They’re reporting at least five people shot,” said a dispatcher.
“This made me stand up and actually look out the entrance door, and I saw a man with a submachine gun of some sort, an automatic rifle, and he was firing in the open,” Jeremiah Miller
told WISH. “I immediately ducked down and got scared and my friend’s mother, she came in and told us to get inside the car.”
The mass shooting occurred in the 8900 block of Mirabel Road. Officer Genae Cook, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson, told reporters at the press conference early Friday morning, April 17, “After a preliminary search of the grounds inside and out, we have located eight people at the scene with injuries consistent to gunshot wounds. Those eight were pronounced deceased here at the scene. We have been made aware of multiple other people with injuries who have been transported to local hospitals or who have transported themselves to local hospitals.” One victim is in critical condition. The victims’ names have not been released.
FBI special agent in charge Paul Keenan said in a news conference that the FBI is assisting in the search of the suspect’s name. He said it would be premature to speculate on the motive.
A deputy chief said that officers found a “very chaotic and active crime scene. They found several victims injured and several victims deceased, as well as the suspect who was deceased as well from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
2. Responding Officers Said They Found Hole Dead at the Scene
Responding officers quickly believed they had found the suspect dead at the facility.
“We have the suspect here inside it looks like. Looks like he has a gunshot wound to the head. Two rifles here,” an officer said in the audio. “Unless there’s another person out, this is going to be our suspect here.” Authorities said at one point, “We have four more down inside the building.” They also found two people in the parking lot and one person in the office.
Their conditions are not clear.
Cook added, “IMPD detectives are working with Indiana State Police detectives gathering information and interviewing, not just those who are here at the scene, but also those who have gone to area hospitals seeking medical treatment. … It is very heartbreaking. … The officers responded, they came in, they went in and they did their job. And a lot of them are trying to face this because this is a sight that no one should ever have to see.”
3. A Witness Said the Shooter Pulled a Gun Out of His Trunk
A witness told John Curtis, “One guy showed up and pulled a gun out of his trunk and went inside. People were driving away, but then he started shooting at the cars driving away.” He said the shooting started in the parking lot, and then continued in the building.
FedEx said in a statement after the mass shooting, “We are aware of the tragic shooting at our FedEx Ground facility near the Indianapolis airport. Safety is our top priority and our thoughts are with all those who are affected. We are working to gather more information and are cooperating with investigating authorities.” According to job listings on the FedEx website, the facility includes a warehouse. There is also a self-service drop box at the location, according to the FedEx website.
When asked if the shooter was an employee at the FedEx facility, Cook said that was not yet known. According to a job listing for a package handler at the facility, the shooting happened just before the shift change between the twilight sort, which starts at 5:30 p.m., and the midnight sort, which begins at 11:30 p.m.
4. The Dispatch Audio Captured Terrifying Scenes as Officers Kept Finding More Victims
Officers found more and more victims as they searched the premises, both inside and outside of the FedEx facility. You can listen to the earliest dispatch audio above.
The dispatcher said at one point that someone “had been shot.” Then they said two to three were shot. Another dispatcher said a female was “screaming for help.” An officer said “another one is down by the building.” They said the hospitals should prepare for “multiple victims.” One person was described as “conscious, barely.”
“Do we have any living victims needing an ambulance?” an officer asked at one point.
“Person shot. He is outside in the parking lot,” another dispatcher said of another victim. “EMS is en route.”
5. Videos Showed the Chaos at the Scene
Videos on social media showed a large response to the scene.
The Indiana State Police said I-70 is closed in both directions between I-465 and Ronald Regan Pkwy due to police activity in the area.
Rafael Sánchez, WRTV journalist, wrote on Twitter, “Initial details on mass casualty shooting at FedEx facility in Indy.” He said that the first 911 call came in at 11:07 p.m. on April 15, 2021, with people reporting someone shooting outside the building. There were then reports of shots in the building. He said there were multiple injuries, and people were hiding by conveyer belts inside.
Authorities were evacuating the building and searching people.