‘Enough Is Enough’: Sikh Families in Grief After US Mass Shooting

“I have several family members who work at the particular facility and are traumatised,” Komal Chauhan said.

(Photo: PTI)

Members of the Sikh Coalition gather at the Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis in Indianapolis on Saturday, April 17, 2021 to formulate the groups response to the shooting at a FedEx facility.

“I am heartbroken to confirm that my naniji (maternal grandmother), Amarjeet Kaur Johal, is among those killed in the senseless shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis,” Komal Chohan said.

At least four Sikhs were killed in a mass shooting at a FedEx company facility in Indianapolis by a 19-year-old former employee late on Thursday, 15 April, according to the Sikh Coalition. “Sadly, we acknowledge that this number is subject to change for the worse, as more information becomes publicly available and those who were injured are being treated at the area hospitals,” the Sikh Coalition said in their latest release issued on 17 April.

Officials said the gunman killed himself after murdering eight people, wounding at least seven, at the parcel service company where a “significant” number of employees are Sikhs.

Chohan said she was still working to identify the others who were either wounded or injured. “I have several family members who work at the particular facility and are traumatised. My nani (grandmother), my family, and our families should not feel unsafe at work, at their place of worship, or anywhere. Enough is enough, our community has been through enough trauma.”

Out of respect for the families and given the fact that the situation continues to develop, the Sikh Coalition is not republishing the names of other victims at this time, they said.

As the news of the fate of others who were attacked comes to light, Mahinder Singh Walia says he has sat with families at the Holiday Inn Express as they wait to hear the news about their loved ones. “These kinds of violent attacks are a threat to all of us. Our community has a long road of healing – physically, mentally, and spiritually – to recover from this tragedy.”

FedEx has confirmed that the gunner, Brandon Scott Hole, was a former employee at the Indianapolis facility. No further information about his possible motive has been released at this time, but we fully expect that authorities should and will conduct a full investigation — including the possibility of bias as a factor, the coalition said.

The coalition said that for 125 years the community has been a part of the American fabric. “Although Sikhs began settling in Indiana more than 50 years ago, the first gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) was established in 1999. In the last two decades, the Sikh population around Indianapolis has experienced significant growth; today, there are 10 gurdwaras across the state and an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Sikh-Americans who have made Indiana their home,” they said.

The coalition said that as the news keeps coming in they will keep updating the community about the consequences of the ‘horrific tragedy’.