USA Today, April 2021
Not much is known as yet about the gunman’s motivation for perpetrating Thursday night’s rampage at an Indianapolis FedEx facility that resulted in eight victim fatalities and injuries to five others. According to reports,19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole had previously been employed at the facility, but whether he was fired or quit on his own and for what reason have not been revealed. And there has been no indication whether any of his victims were specifically targeted.
According to his mother, Hole fantasized about suicide-by-cop. He did take his own life inside the FedEx building, but without waiting for a shoot-out with the police.
Law enforcement had dealt with Hole back in March of 2020. Deeply concerned about her son’s well-being, Hole’s mother had contacted the authorities, requesting an evaluation of his psychological fitness. The mental health check resulted in the young man’s hospitalization and confiscation of his shotgun. After completing its investigation, the FBI later concluded that Hole did not pose a sufficient threat to warrant further restraint, allowing him legally to purchase the two semiautomatic rifles used in Thursday’s shooting.
In the aftermath of mass killings, warning signs always seem much more telling with the aid of 20/20 hindsight. Of course, most troubled people do not turn their angst into violent action.
