The gunman in the FedEx shooting browsed white supremacist websites a year before his attack, which killed 4 Sikhs, police say

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The gunman in the FedEx shooting browsed white supremacist websites a year before his attack, which killed 4 Sikhs, police say
A vigil in Indianapolis, Indiana, to remember the victims of a shooting at a FedEx Ground facility.JEFF DEAN/AFP via Getty Images
  • Brandon Hole was identified as the gunman in last week's shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility.
  • Police said Monday that they detained Hole a year ago, after he threatened to kill himself.
  • While securing his room, an officer noticed white supremacist websites on Hole's computer.
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The 19-year-old man who killed eight in a shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis last week, before taking his own life, was caught visiting white supremacist websites a year before the attack, police said.

The gunman in the FedEx shooting browsed white supremacist websites a year before his attack, which killed 4 Sikhs, police say
Brandon Hole.Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department via AP
In a Monday update, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department provided more information on a previous encounter its officers had with shooter Brandon Hole.

Police said Hole's mother contacted them on March 3, 2020, telling officers that her son had bought a shotgun the previous day and threatened to attempt "suicide by cop."

"Suicide by cop" is used to provoke law-enforcement officers to shoot in defense of civilians or themselves.

Officers went to the family's home where they detained Hole, who became "immediately anxious" and asked that someone turn the power strip off on his computer, according to an incident report released by the IMPD.

"I don't want anyone to see what's on it," Hole said at the time, according to the report.

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One of the officers went upstairs to clear Hole's bedroom and retrieve the shotgun and "observed what through his training and experience indicated was white supremacist websites," the report said.

A sergeant in criminal intelligence "was contacted and made aware of the content observed on Brandon Hole's computer," according to the report.

Four of the eight victims killed in the April 15 FedEx facility shooting were Sikhs, a religious group that started in India in the 15th century.

About 90% of the workers at the facility were members of the local Sikh community, Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor said Friday, according to the Associated Press.

Hole had previously worked at the facility, but was fired in October 2020 for not showing up to work, a police press release said.

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After the March 2020 incident, Hole was taken to the hospital for further assessment. He later told officers that he didn't want his shotgun back, and it remains in storage pending destruction, the police said.

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms found that Hole had legally obtained the two weapons used in the FedEx facility shooting from authorized dealers in July and September 2020 respectively, the police said.

According to the Sikh Coalition, Sikhs first started immigrating to Indiana about 50 years ago, and started their first gurdwara, or house of worship, in 1999. Today, there are 10 gurdwaras across the state and an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Sikhs in Indiana, the group said.

Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world and there are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs living in the US, the Sikh Coalition said.

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