Governor: Indianapolis ‘still reeling’ from FedEx shooting

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s governor told members of the Sikh community and others who gathered at a downtown Indianapolis football stadium Saturday to remember the eight people killed in a mass shooting at a FedEx warehouse that he knows their anguish from the attack is far from over. The three-hour event at Lucas Oil Stadium came two weeks after a former FedEx employee fatally shot the eight people, including four members of Indianapolis’ Sikh community, before killing himself. This pain will for sure persist as we continue to live with the loss in all of our days to come.” In a letter read aloud during the ceremony, former Vice President Mike Pence emphasized particular grief for the Sikh community, whose members “add to the tapestry of this country.” “Know that our hearts and our prayers are with you all,” Pence, a former Indiana governor, said in his letter. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said his message to the Sikh community, to immigrants and “to anyone who feels threatened by this act simply because of who they are” is that they are “welcome in Indianapolis, and it is the responsibility of every one of our residents to make sure you know that to be true.” Hogsett, a Democrat, also reiterated his previous calls for changes to gun policy, saying the shooting could have been prevented. He said the city, state and country are “far past due for transformative action.” Authorities have said that Brandon Scott Hole, 19, had two rifles that he was able to purchase legally, even after his mother called police last year to say her son might undertake “suicide by cop.” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears has faced sharp criticism for choosing not to pursue court hearings that could have prevented Hole from accessing the guns.