Indy FedEx massacre prompts reactions of sadness, determination from state leaders
April 16, 2021
Local and state leaders waking up Friday to news of a shooting massacre at an Indianapolis FedEx facility that killed at least eight people, plus the shooter, are expressing sympathy for the victims and their families, gratitude to law enforcement, and disappointment America’s gun violence epidemic again is hitting Indiana.
Democratic Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said as law enforcement works to learn more about “yet another mass shooting,” he said “our prayers are with the families of those whose lives were cut short.”
“Thank you to all of our city’s first responders for their tireless work overnight,” Hogsett said. “Their quick response provided critical aid to those injured in the shooting and brought a measure of calm to an otherwise chaotic scene.”
The FedEx massacre was at least the third mass shooting already this year in Indiana’s capital city. Five people, including a pregnant woman, were shot and killed in January, and a man was accused of killing three adults and a child before abducting his daughter during an argument at a home in March.
“This is another heartbreaking day,” Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said, adding he personally is “shaken by the mass shooting at the FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis.”
“Indiana State Police are working with local responders, and we will continue to offer any and all resources needed to assist during this tragedy,” Holcomb said. “In times like this, words like justice and sorrow fall short in response for those senselessly taken. Our thoughts are with the families, friends, co-workers and all those affected by this terrible situation.”
The governor also ordered all flags in the state lowered to half-staff until April 20 to remember those killed in this incident.
U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said he and his wife, Maureen, only learned of the late Thursday night shooting at the shipping facility near the Indianapolis International Airport early Friday morning.
“Our hearts are mourning for the individuals who’ve senselessly lost their lives, all of their loved ones, and their co-workers at FedEx who will be dealing with this tragedy for a long time to come,” Braun said.
“Thank you to the members of law enforcement who put their lives on the line and responded heroically to this situation.”
U.S. Todd Young, R-Ind., concurred: “The shooting at FedEx was a senseless tragedy. Indiana and the nation mourn for the lives lost and forever changed last night,” Young said.
Meanwhile, Ali Brown, a Democratic member of the Indianapolis City-County Council originally from Portage, said she was “heartbroken and angry” when she learned of the FedEx shooting.
“Now, there are eight empty chairs at dinner tables and lives have been permanently altered because of inaction and a refusal to show some proactive responsibility to a problem that’s crippled our country, Indiana, and the Indianapolis community for too long,” Brown said.
She called on the Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly and Holcomb to immediately take action to curb the “epidemic” of gun violence in the Hoosier State prior to the Legislature’s planned adjournment of its regular annual session Wednesday or Thursday.
“We must mourn the Hoosiers whose lives were cut way too short, but we must also take action to prevent another tragedy like this from happening on Indiana soil,” Brown said. “If that means passing background check legislation, banning automatic rifles, and advocating for other common-sense gun control measures, let’s get that done.
“Let’s also remember to thank our Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the first responders for bravely taking what could likely be the worst call they’ll receive in their careers. We owe them our gratitude for keeping us safe during these uncertain times.”
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Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, now U.S. secretary of transportation under Democratic President Joe Biden, agreed: “We wake up once more to news of a mass shooting, this time in Indiana. No country should accept this now-routine horror. It’s long past time to act,” he said.
Their calls to action is unlikely to be heard inside the Statehouse, where the Indiana Senate on Monday proclaimed its eternal opposition to any limits on the gun rights established by the U.S. Constitution and the Indiana Constitution.
Senate Resolution 39 declares the Indiana Senate opposes “any punitive taxes, fines, confiscations, restrictions, or prohibitions concerning lawful firearms, accessories, or ammunition.”
“It is the policy of the Indiana Senate that Indiana will not restrict or otherwise limit or penalize the manufacture, possession, sale, distribution, or purchase of firearms based on their ornamentation or appearance, or on their magazine or ammunition capacity,” the resolution states.
The resolution was adopted 40-10 with all Senate Republicans, and state Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, voting yes, and the 10 other Senate Democrats opposed.
It has no force of law, but the resolution’s supporters said a clear statement of their position is necessary to combat what they see as a federal government hostile to an individual right to keep and bear arms.
At the same time, Senate President Rod Bray, R-Martinville, earlier this month derailed a House-approved proposal, House Bill 1369, that would have allowed Hoosiers 18 and older to carry handguns in public without being required to obtain a state license.
This story will be updated. Check back at nwi.com for updates to this story.
