Who was Brandon Scott Hole? Indianapolis shooter, 19, was FedEx staffer, FBI knew his ‘suicide by cop’ intentions

The 19-year-old shooter was also investigated by the FBI. Here's everything we know about Hole, and how he ended up killing eight at the Indianapolis facility.

Who was Brandon Hole?

Not much is known about Hole. The mass shooter was previously employed at FedEx in 2020 but left the job for unknown reasons. It is unclear if he still had ties to present employees at the organization. 

Hole also has a history with law enforcement, the FBI said in a statement. In March 2020, Hole's mother contacted the FBI to report he might try to commit ‘suicide by cop,’ a suicide method in which someone deliberately behaves in a threatening manner in order to provoke a lethal response from police.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) then put Hole in mental health detention, while the FBI investigated. However, they found no cause for concern and closed the investigation. Apparently, Hole did not show any signs of "racially motivated violence". Nonetheless, the police did not return the pump-action shotgun seized from Hole's house. He reportedly purchased the gun just 24 hours after his mother made the call. 

Hole's name was also associated with a second arrest in 2013, but Chief McCartt could not confirm the details. We couldn't find an associated Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account for Hole and are therefore unable to learn more about him. He lived in a neighborhood of midcentury houses near Interstate 465 with his mother and sister. 

FedEx shooting details

According to police, Hole arrived at the Indianapolis facility in his car, and then randomly began firing at people in the parking lot. He killed four people in the lot before entering the building and killing another four. At the time, there were at least 100 people in the building, either changing shifts or on their dinner break. Families were unable to contact employees since FedEx restricts the use of cellphones in the building. 

Within minutes, he then turned the gun on himself and fired. A large number of the victims are members of the Sikh community, but it is unclear as of now if this is a racially-motivated crime. This is reportedly the 45th mass shooting in the US since the shootings in Atlanta on March 16.