The motive of the 19-year-old Indianapolis boy, who gunned down 8 people at a southwest side FedEx Ground facility about three months ago, had nothing to do with racial bias or ideology, said the FBI.
In April, Brandon Scott Hole, who last worked at FedEx in 2020, turned the gun on himself after mass shooting. Half of the victims were from the Sikh community, reported New York Post.
On Wednesday, officials said that the attack was "an act of suicidal murder." Hole had thought of killing himself "in a way he believed would demonstrate his masculinity and capability while fulfilling a final desire to experience killing people."
After months of investigating, @IMPDnews has completed the investigation into the shooting at the FedEx Ground Plainfield Operation Center on April 15th.
— Alexa Green (@AlexaGreenMedia) July 28, 2021
“It has been determined that the 19-year-old shooter acted alone in this incident.” pic.twitter.com/pEFsmK9pS7
According to ABC News, the FBI said that it appears he chose the FedEx facility as he is familiar with the place. The FBI also pointed out that 73% of mass shooters plan an attack at a place they know well.
Hole's thought on proving his masculinity was partially linked to a failed attempt to live independently, said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan.
Investigators also found out that the teen aspired to join the military, and that he was eating meals ready-to-eat, like those taken by people of the armed forces.
Keenan also said that Hole thought about suicide almost daily, reported IndyStar. In March last year, Hole had to go through a mental health check and was placed under detention at a hospital. A gun he had purchased was confiscated at that time. Police said that Hole later bought more guns and used them in the April shooting.
Keenan said that only the shooter knows the reasons why he committed the crime. However, on the basis of evidence collected, the FBI is confident the assessment of the Behavioral Analysis Unit is correct. He shared that Hole didn't seem to have been motivated by bias. He also didn't seem to wish to advance any ideology.
The FBI reviewed phones and 175,000 files on computers. Keenan said that there was some viewing of German military and Nazi things. But the percentage of overall viewing was small. They also didn't find any evidence suggesting that there was any animosity towards the Sikh community.
Victims of the shooting included Amarjeet Kaur Johal, Jasvinder Kaur and Jaswinder Singh.
