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- Eight people were killed during a shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana Thursday.
- Police said the suspect appeared to have taken his own life at the scene.
- Multiple others were transported to area hospitals and police are still investigating.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Eight people were killed and multiple injured in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis, Indiana, airport Thursday night, and the suspected shooter is dead from an apparent suicide.
Police confirmed to Insider a shooting occurred. During a press briefing, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Genae Cook said eight victims were pronounced dead and the scene, while at least four others were transported to local hospitals with injuries. She said the suspect appeared to have taken his own life.
The conditions of the four victims who were taken to the hospital were not immediately released, but The Indianapolis Star said that at least one of those patients was in critical condition as of 3 a.m.
Cook said police responded to the scene at 8951 Mirabel Road around 11 p.m. local time. It was an active shooting when police arrived. As of 1:20 a.m. on Friday morning, she said there was no active threat to the community.
CBS 4
A representative for the Indiana State Police told Insider that he believed “at this point it’s been contained,” but noted “they’re a very large facility. It may have already been wrapped up, but last I heard they were still throughout the building.”
In a statement shared with Insider, FedEx said they were cooperating with local authorities.
“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.”
—WRTV Indianapolis (@wrtv) April 16, 2021
Witness accounts
The shooter appeared to target people in the building and in the parking lot.
Parminder Singh told CBS 4 that his niece was in her car when the gunman shot her in the arm. He said his niece did not know who the shooter was.
Jeremiah Miller, a worker at the facility, told WISH that he was preparing to start his second shift in a row when he heard up to 10 shots.
When he looked toward the entrance door, Miller said he “saw a man with a submachine gun of some sort, an automatic rifle, and he was firing in the open.”
—Allen Carter (@CarterNews) April 16, 2021
“I immediately ducked down and got scared and my friend’s mother, she came in and told us to get inside the car,” Miller said.
Timothy Boillat, a worker at the facility, told WRTV that he was eating when he heard the first gunshots, which sounded like “two loud metal clangs.”
He said one of his coworkers got up to look outside into the parking lot and didn’t see anything, and then they heard three more shots.
Boillat said his friend then saw somebody running out of the building, followed by more shots.
“Somebody went behind their car to the trunk and then got another gun,” Boillat said.
Boillat told WISH that he didn’t see anybody get shot, but he did “see a body on the floor behind a vehicle.”
“Luckily, I was far enough away where he [the shooter] didn’t notice me or see me. So thank God for that,” Boillat said.
Unable to call for help?
Multiple current and former employees said FedEx has a policy of not allowing employees to have their phones at the workplace. Instead, they must store phones in lockers during their shifts, which may have impacted the ability of workers to call for help during the shooting.
A representative for FedEx told Insider they were looking into their phone policy.
Interstate 70, located near the Indianapolis International Airport, was closed going both directions to make way for emergency response, according to Indiana State Police. It was reopened about an hour later.
—André Carson (@RepAndreCarson) April 16, 2021
IMPD said if you have family members who work at the FedEx facility that you cannot get in touch with, you can report to the Holiday Inn at 8555 Stansted Rd.
Cook said workers scheduled to work at the facility on Friday should get in touch with their managers, as the warehouse will remain closed for several hours as detectives investigate.
This is Indianapolis’s fourth mass shooting so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
“I am heartbroken by the mass shooting at the FedEx facility here in Indianapolis and praying for all affected by this tragedy,” Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana’s 7th District said on Twitter. “I am communicating with local authorities to get all details of the attack and my office stands ready to help everyone affected any way we can.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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