Why Sikhs are worried about the Indianapolis mass shooting

Last week, the New York Times mapped the location and number of casualties of mass shootings that have occurred on US soil in 2021. It’s a ‘partial’ list, but remarkable, nevertheless. March alone saw the senseless killing of ten people in Colorado, four in California, eight in Atlanta, four in Indianapolis and another four in Maryland. More remarkably still, the shootings occurred unabated throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Last Thursday saw yet more mindless carnage in America, with the third mass shooting in Indianapolis this year. A FedEx facility was targeted, and half the victims were local Sikhs (there is a 10,000 strong community across Indiana). Whilst the authorities continue to investigate the motivation behind Thursday’s attack, the perpetrator has been identified as an ex-FedEx employee – 19-year-old Brandon Hole, who has had issues with his mental health, was known to law enforcement, and had browsed white supremacist websites. The New York based advocacy group the Sikh Coalition have asked for a full investigation into ‘the possibility of bias as factor’ for the rampage.