FBI not ruling out any motive in Indianapolis FedEx shooting

INDIANAPOLIS — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not ruling out any motive for last week's mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx Ground facility, an agent in charge said.

Sikh leaders have called for an investigation into Brandon Scott Hole's motive for killing eight people and wounding at least five others on April 15 at the FedEx Ground Plainfield Operations Center. Hole, 19, died by suicide following the shootings.

“The FBI continues to work with IMPD and other law enforcement partners to find a motive for this senseless act of violence, and will be meticulous and thorough in our investigation and devote as much time as needed to find answers for the victims' families," FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said in a statement. "We are not ruling out any motive at this time, including one based on hate/bias."

In March 2020, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer found white supremacist websites on Hole's computer when investigators seized his shotgun after he made comments about dying by suicide by cop.

The revelation led the Sikh Coalition to send letters to IMPD, the FBI, Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and other Hoosier lawmakers calling for a deeper look into Hole's motives for the killings.

“If you are Sikh or any minority living in America it is impossible to look at the tragedy that unfolded and not immediately consider the possibility that bias was a motivator,” Nikki Singh, Policy and Advocacy Manager for the Sikh Coalition, told WRTV's Megan Sanctorum.

The FBI previously said it did not identify any "racially motivated violent extremist ideology" or find any criminal violations during an April 2020 interview. Keenan said no probable cause was found during the FBI's interview with Hole to begin any type of federal legal process.

"The FBI takes great care to distinguish between constitutionally protected activities and illegal activities undertaken to further an ideological agenda," Keenan said. "The FBI cannot initiate an investigation based solely on an individual’s race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or the exercise of First Amendment rights.”