People hoping to get their holiday shopping delivered on time could be caught in the middle of a growing battle between FedEx and thousands of contractors who deliver most FedEx packages.

Related video above: How to Keep ‘Porch Pirates’ Away From Your Packages

Many of the contractors used by the company's FedEx Ground division say they are losing money, even as revenue at that unit soared more than 60% since before the pandemic. As a result, a group of the contractors are threatening to shutter their operations right before Black Friday.

FedEx Express depends on FedEx employees to move its shipments, but FedEx Ground depends on a network of more than 6,000 independent businesses to make deliveries. Many of them have dozens, or even more than 100 drivers. Most consumers probably don't realize the FedEx Ground drivers stopping at their doors, wearing FedEx uniforms, are actually working for the contractors, not FedEx itself.

Higher costs for fuel, trucks and driver pay have as many as 30% of those contractors losing money, according to an estimate from Deutsche Bank. Many of the contractors are in the process of forming a trade group to pressure FedEx to improve the terms of the compensation packages they receive.

The contractors are not allowed to coordinate a shutdown, the way employees can go on strike under U.S. labor law. Such coordinated action would be considered a violation of antitrust law that prevents separate companies from working in concert with one another.

But talk of a pre-Black Friday shutdown is spreading among the contractors who are most vocal about the need for change.

Losing money

"My business is losing money every day," said Spencer Patton, one of the largest contractors and the most vocal critic of FedEx Ground's relationship with its partner network. "And my business will not be able to continue operation past Nov. 25. Peak season is one of highest cost of operations time of the year. I have to double the number of trucks, hire drivers. I will not do so if things don't change."

His suburban Nashville-based company, Patton Logistics, has 275 trucks serving hundreds of FedEx Ground routes spread across 10 states in the central U.S. His trucks delivered about 6.5 million FedEx packages last year.

He said the wages he needs to pay to keep drivers are up 37% in the last year, while truck prices are up 30%. Although the average price of diesel is down 14% from the record high hit in June, it is still up 52% compared to a year ago, according to AAA.

"Fuel prices have come down off a boil, and that undoubtedly has been a benefit. But wage pressures remains boiling hot," Patton said. "We are actually competing against FedEx for drivers."

Patton has been a contractor for 10 years. He started making his own deliveries on a single route before growing the business. He said historically he had about a 10% profit margin excluding interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Now he said he's losing 5% to 10% on that basis.

Meanwhile, FedEx reported that revenue at its FedEx Ground unit increased $2.7 billion, or 9%, to $33.2 billion in the fiscal year ending in May compared to the previous fiscal year, although its operating profit fell 17% to $2.6 billion.

FedEx Ground pushes back

FedEx Ground is refusing to offer the kind of across-the-board financial relief to its contractors that Patton and others are seeking. It said that since January, only 10% of contractors had sought relief.

"We recognize that current economic conditions are posing new challenges," FedEx Ground said in a statement. "We remain committed to working with service provider businesses individually to address the challenges specific to their situation. Our goal is to enable success for both FedEx Ground and service providers."

Patton said almost none of the contractors who have sought better terms from FedEx Ground have been granted them. FedEx did not comment on what percent of contractors have had the terms of their contracts improved, although it said more than 1,600 contractors are operating under newly negotiated or renegotiated agreements. Many if not most of those contracts were due to be renegotiated under terms of the prior agreements.

FedEx Ground also would not comment directly about the threat of some contractors shutting down just before the holiday shopping season.

"We are committed to providing outstanding service to shippers and recipients, and we believe the vast majority of service providers are as well," said the company's statement. "We have confidence in our contingency planning and ability to deliver for our customers during this time as we weather economic changes."

FedEx fights back

On Friday, FedEx filed a federal lawsuit against Patton's company seeking a court order to stop him talking about a possible shutdown, and asking for unspecified monetary damages.

It charges that Patton is seeking to get FedEx Ground contractors riled up as part of "a promotional campaign for the consultancy, brokerage and other services" that a separate business he runs, Route Consultant, provides to other contractors.

And the suit also said that while Patton "claimed to be speaking only 'on behalf of [his] individual businesses,' he plainly was attempting to influence a group walk-out or boycott" starting on Black Friday."

Patton issued a statement saying he will not stop his complaints about FedEx Ground's relations with contractors, despite the lawsuit.

"I knew when I started speaking on behalf of small business owners in the community that a lawsuit was a likely weapon FedEx would deploy," he said.

Survival mode

FedEx Ground provided CNN Business the names of several contractors who said they are doing OK financially despite the economic problems at some other contractors. But even some of those expressed concern what would happen if a significant number of contractors halt operations due to financial problems.

"I know there are others who are hurting, but fortunately I'm not in the red," said Troy Fulsom, a contractor with about two-dozen drivers based in Fresno. "For me, luckily, I have an area where we're booming, expanding. But our profit margins are thinner. Your heart goes out to those in that position who need to set the ultimatum. That's a real concern if some people are shutting down operations, and what it would do to the business, and customers shifting away. With the talk out there, it is a scary thing."

Some of the contractors who say they are losing money said they have no choice but to try to push through and weather the losses and can't afford to join any shutdown effort.

"That's not something I'm going to be able to do," said David Dorner, a contractor based in Medford, Oregon, about the possibility of a halt of operations. "I'd love to join in. But it would put me in a situation where FedEx can step in and take the business away from me."

Dorner is about to have a new contract with FedEx go into effect in October and he hopes it's enough to get him back in the black. But even if he doesn't shut down as part of a pre-Black Friday action, he said he won't be able to go on indefinitely if he doesn't become profitable again sometime soon.

"I'm in survival mode, just struggling to put trucks out there every day," he said. "It'll be sad if nothing changes and we have to shut our doors."

Severe winter weather that has spread across the United States this week could cause delays with your packages. 

FedEx's Memphis, Tennessee headquarters is under an ice storm warning as the company tries to avoid any disruptions in deliveries.

The company says it's keeping an eye on the weather, but the safety of employees comes first.

FedEx released a service statement on its website which said, "FedEx Express experienced substantial disruptions at the Memphis and Indianapolis hubs last night due to freezing rain in the Memphis area and snow in the Indianapolis area. The storm has created potentially hazardous operating conditions and the safety of our team members remains our number one priority. Potential delays are possible for package deliveries across the U.S. with a delivery commitment of February 3, 2022. Contingency plans are in place and we are prepared to provide the best possible service as conditions allow. Operational impacts to other FedEx operating companies may vary due to local weather conditions."

A major winter storm has left more than 200,000 homes and businesses without power across the U.S. The multiday storm dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest and triggered weather warnings from Texas to the Northeast. Power companies have struggled to keep pace with freezing rain and snow that weighed down tree limbs and encrusted power lines.

Travelers also are dealing with thousands of canceled flights around the U.S. The storm's path stretched further from the central U.S. on Thursday into more of the South and Northeast. Forecasters say more heavy snow is expected, while heavy ice buildup was likely from Texas to Pennsylvania.

This story was originally published by Dave Briggs of Newsy. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The arrest of an ex-contract driver for FedEx was announced Friday afternoon after he admitted to dumping hundreds of packages in an east Alabama ravine late last month.

Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon announced around 3 p.m. Friday the former driver has been identified as Deandre Rayshaun Charleston, 22, of Adamsville. He was located a few days ago in north Jefferson County and confessed to dumping the packages in the ravine near Hayden five separate times between Nov. 17 and Nov. 24.

Charleston was a sub-contractor driver who delivered packages for FedEx and was terminated by his company almost immediately after the dumped packages were discovered.

Moon said Charleston is currently working for another delivery company and will be arrested once he completes his shift. The specific charge Charleston is facing has not been released, but Moon said it is a Class D felony.

During questioning, Moon said Charleston was "very respectful" and "cooperative." He told investigators he was remorseful for dumping the packages and had made poor choices while dealing with a death in his family.

"I know there's a lot of people out there that want to just throw this guy away, throw away the key and never give him any hope of a life ever. That's not my intentions and that's not my hope," Moon said. "I hope this is a life lesson that can change him and give him a better work ethic, a better understanding of people's needs where he can move on from here and become a thriving citizen in our city, in our state."

On Thanksgiving, drivers from around the country came to the Blount County location to load up the packages and take them to the Bessemer Distribution Center to deliver what was salvageable.

This content is imported from Facebook.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Moon said out of those packages, 153 were able to be scanned and delivered, but 247 were not able to be recognized, making delivery impossible. Those packages were undeliverable due to un-scannable barcodes or illegible addresses and/or names. Moon said the total merchandise amount for the undeliverable packages was around $24,700.

The sheriff's office said they are not sure if this case is related to the FedEx packages found dumped in another Alabama location a few days later.

After hundreds of FedEx packages were found dumped in an Alabama ravine last week, police in another county say more discarded packages were found in a wooded area.

Video above: Investigation launched after hundreds of packages found in Alabama ravine

Following the latest discovery, Jemison police released the following statement on social media:

"The Jemison Police Department has recovered approximately 20 or more Fed Ex packages that appear to have been dumped just off the road alongside County Road 166. The packages include shipping addresses on County Roads 166, 48, 51, 164, 42, 29, 43, 936, and North Dakota Road. We are in the process of contacting officials with Fed Ex so that they can investigate this situation and contact their customers."

Hours after the discovery in Chilton County, FedEx released the following statement to sister station WVTM Wednesday afternoon:

"We are appalled to learn of this incident and can confirm that efforts are immediately underway to retrieve and deliver the packages to their intended recipients. We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement during their investigation, including any criminal prosecution of, or civil action against, the individuals responsible. Customers with questions or concerns about their shipments are encouraged to visit fedex.com for updates."

The investigation began last Wednesday when hundreds of packages were found in a ravine on private property near the small town of Hayden in Blount County.

The Blount County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday a FedEx driver dumped packages in and outside the county on multiple occasions.

"Investigators have determined that the driver dumped at least six times making FedEx a victim of six different Theft of Property cases," Sheriff Mark Moon said on social media. "As of right now we are looking at around 450 individual victims, some in Blount County some not, that investigators are attempting to work their cases."

The sheriff asked for the public to be patient as authorities continue to investigate.

"This will not be an easy or fast case to close," Moon said. "Again I am asking for patience from our citizens as our investigators work through this case."

After news spread on social media, drivers from around the country flocked to the area to help recover the packages.

This content is imported from Facebook.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

FedEx said it was cooperating with investigators and that the person involved was no longer providing service for FedEx Ground. It said it would deliver recovered packages where possible and seek resolution for damaged shipments.

The company also released the following statement to WVTM on Monday:

“The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority and we are committed to treating our customers’ packages with the utmost care. In addition to cooperating with law enforcement, we have reviewed this situation and can confirm that the individual involved is no longer providing service on behalf of FedEx Ground.

"We regret the inconvenience this situation has caused and appreciate our customers’ understanding throughout the package recovery process. Where possible, recovered packages are being delivered to the intended recipients. In the event of a damaged shipment, we will make every effort to work with the affected shippers to reach a resolution. As always, customers with questions about their shipments can track their packages by visiting https://fedex.com.”

The last holiday season was far from the most wonderful time of the year for the U.S. Postal Service: Sick and quarantined workers, a flood of packages from shoppers loathe to set foot in stores and a last-minute dump of packages from overwhelmed private shippers.

Postal workers who recall packages and letters piled up in distribution hubs are better prepared this time as they gear up for another pandemic crunch. But low product inventories and port and supply chain disruptions are creating new uncertainty about getting gifts delivered.

Already, workers are seeing a surge in holiday packages that began several weeks ago.

“A lot of the workers are saying, ‘Oh no. Here we go again,’” said Scott Adams, local president of the American Postal Workers Union in Portland.

The U.S. Postal Service and private shippers UPS and FedEx are bolstering their hiring — bringing in about 230,000 temporary workers — and taking other steps to ensure they don’t become overwhelmed by packages.

Nearly 3.4 billion parcels are expected to crisscross the country this holiday season, representing an estimated increase of about 400 million compared to last year, said Satish Jindel, from Pennsylvania-based ShipMatrix, which analyzes shipping package data.

When cards and letters are included, the U.S. Postal Service said it'll be delivering more than 12 billion items.

“The pandemic is still here. The supply chain is a challenge that’s going to impact how people shop and how products move,” said Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 200,000 postal workers.

Despite the precarious situation, the Postal Service, UPS and FedEx are in better shape to handle the peak volume, and several trends could work in their favor, Jindel said.

More people are shopping in stores compared to last year, and people have been placing online orders earlier because they’re keenly aware of supply chain problems, Jindel said. Also, with workers returning to offices, there are fewer office supply shipments being made to homes, he said.

Most importantly, the shippers are adapting after their rough-and-tumble experience last year, he said.

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who faced withering criticism last year but reported on-time improvements and reduced operating losses this month, says the service is ready for the crunch.

“We are ready, so send us your packages and your mail,” he said.

A year ago, more than a third of Postal Service first-class mail was late by the time Christmas arrived.

Tractor-trailers stuffed with mail were left idling outside some postal-sorting facilities. Packages and letters piled up in distribution hubs. Delays grew by days, and then weeks, in many instances.

Two things were painfully obvious. More workers and more space were needed — and both are being addressed.

To get a handle of the volume, the Postal Service is transitioning more than 30,000 non-career employees to the ranks of career employees by peak season, hiring 40,000 seasonal employees, and leasing extra space at more than 100 locations to ensure there’s room for parcels.

The Postal Service installed more than 100 new package sorting machines as of early November, part of $40 billion of planned investment over 10 years. Also, more than 50 package systems capable of sorting large packages are expected to be deployed before December. Combined, these expand capacity by an additional 4.5 million packages per day, officials said.

UPS, for its part, is hiring more than 100,000 seasonal employees across the country and continues to add aircraft and automation. It expects nearly 90% of its packages to flow through automated facilities by year’s end.

FedEx, meanwhile, is in the process of boosting its nationwide workforce by 90,000 across its operating companies. Most of those new workers are expected to remain after the holidays, the company said.

Despite all those extra workers, the shippers agree that this is not the year for shoppers to procrastinate.

“Complete your holiday shopping as soon as possible,” said Jim Mayer, spokesperson for UPS.

A person who was participating in anti-police brutality protests in St. Louis was killed earlier Saturday morning when he was run over by a FedEx truck.

KSDK-TV

and

KMOV-TV

in St. Louis both confirm that the incident began when a two-trailer FedEx semi was re-routed off of a local highway when it was shut down by protesters.

After leaving the highway, another group of protesters forced the truck to crawl to a stop. KMOV reports that some rioters attempted to grab packages off the back of the truck.

At that point, two men climbed onto the passenger side of the truck. That's when police say the men flashed their guns to the driver.

The driver sounded his horn and tried to drive away. Police say the driver wasn't aware that there was a man between the trailers at the time he started driving. That man fell and became trapped under the truck.

Bystander video shows others screaming and yelling, trying to tell the driver he was dragging a man under his truck.

FedEx released a statement Saturday.

"Our hearts go out to all those who are grieving the events of this week," the company said. "We are deeply saddened to learn of a tragic situation involving a demonstrator in St. Louis and one of our vehicles. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family of the individual involved. There is no higher priority for FedEx than safety, and we are cooperating fully with the investigating authorities at this time."

The three major shipping services in the U.S. announced their cut-off dates to ensure packages arrive by Christmas.

The United States Postal Service, which began slowing mail deliveries, says it’s essential to send packages early.

“The earlier you send, the better: Don’t delay, mail and ship today,” USPS says on its website.

USPS Shipping Deadlines

• Retail Ground — Wed., Dec. 15
• First-Class Mail — Fri., Dec. 17
• Priority Mail — Sat., Dec. 18
• Priority Mail Express — Thurs., Dec. 23

FedEx is asking customers to plan ahead because they are handling more shipments than ever.

FedEx Shipping Deadlines

• FedEx Ground Economy — Thurs., Dec. 9
• FedEx Ground and Home Delivery — Wed., Dec. 15
• Express Saver — Tues., Dec. 21
• 2Day & 2Day AM — Wed., Dec. 22
• FedEx Same Day — Fri., Dec. 24

UPS

• Ground shipping — Check ups.com/ctc for quote
• 3 Day Select — Tues., Dec. 21
• 2 Day Air — Wed., Dec. 22
• Next Day Air — Thurs., Dec. 23

Samaria Blackwell dreamed of being a police officer.

John Weisert would have celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary in the fall.

Amarjit Sekhon and Jasvinder Kaur were the backbones of their families and members of Indianapolis' close-knit Sikh community.

Instead of coming home from a normal shift at a FedEx shipping facility in Indianapolis, they and four of their coworkers are being remembered by friends and family as the victims of another mass shooting in the United States.

The victims range in age from 19 to 74, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Their names are: Matthew R. Alexander, 32; Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Kaur, 50; Sekhon, 48; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Karli Smith, 19; and Weisert, 74.

Here is what we know about them:

Samaria Blackwell

Samaria Blackwell was the youngest of four children and looked up to her older siblings Elijah, Levi and Michaiah, her parents Jeff and Tammi Blackwell said in a statement.

"We were blessed by the Lord to have such a fun-loving, caring daughter as the baby of our family," they wrote.

Blackwell played basketball and soccer and had "a tough game face" that "quickly turned to a smile outside of competition," they said.

She was a straight-A student who graduated from high school last year and her parents described their daughter as "tenacious in everything she did."

Blackwell dreamed of being a police officer because she wanted to help people, her parents said.

"Although that dream has been cut short, we believe that right now she is rejoicing in heaven with her Savior," they wrote.

Amarjit Sekhon

Amarjit Sekhon immigrated to the United States in 2004 and moved to Indianapolis in 2019 to be closer to her family, according to Rimpi Girn, a close family friend, who thought of Sekhon as an aunt.

Girn told CNN that Sekhon had been working at the FedEx facility since November on the 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. shift.

Sekhon is survived by her husband and two sons, ages 13 and 19.

"It's hard when your mom went to work and she's not coming back tomorrow," Girn said about Sekhon's sons.

Girn described Sekhon as "a workaholic and active person" and said their "whole household ran on her."

Jasvinder Kaur

Jasvinder Kaur has two children — a daughter and a son, who still lives in India — and is the family's sole breadwinner, according to Girn. Kaur's daughter is Girn's sister-in-law.

Kaur also worked the 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. shift and rode to work with Sekhon because she didn't have her driver's license yet, Girn said.

Both women were hoping to find jobs on the day shift, so they wouldn't have to work overnights, Girn said.

Kaur came to the United States in 2018 and would send money to support her son in India.

The family is trying to get a visa for Kaur's son, so he can travel to the U.S. for her funeral "and pay his last respects," Girn said.

Karli Smith

Karli Smith graduated in 2020 from George Washington High School, where she was remembered as "a hardworking and dedicated student," according to a statement from Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS).

She also attended Crispus Attucks High School, where she played on the softball team. The district said she played basketball and volleyball in middle school.

"Administrators, teachers and classmates remember Karli for her sense of humor that often generated smiles and laughter. Karli was a bright light wherever she went. She will be dearly missed by all throughout IPS who knew and loved her," the statement said.

John Weisert

John Weisert was a retired engineer and was working at the FedEx facility to make some extra money, his wife told CNN affiliate WTHR on Friday, while she waited for news about her husband.

She told WTHR that she knew something was wrong when her husband didn't come home at his regular time.

"I thought maybe he had an accident or run off the road or anything, cause he's older. And they said, 'No, it's worse than that. There was a mass shooting,'" she told WTHR.

Weisert had worked at the FedEx facility for about four-and-a-half years, WTHR reported.

"He's just a package handler, a retired professional engineer, but after retirement he wanted to keep working. We had some things we needed to pay off, so he took this job," Weiser told WTHR.

The couple was set to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in the fall.

Matthew Alexander

Those who knew Matthew Alexander described the 32-year-old as a huge baseball fan and a trustworthy, reliable and kind friend, WTHR reported.

Family and friends gathered at Avon High School's baseball field Saturday to honor the former player before his father threw the opening pitch.

Video: FedEx shooting victim Matthew Alexander remembered

"Matt was a pitcher for Avon. He was shortstop for Avon," Brad Alexander told the station. "I didn't do near as well as he did in the day, but I was there and I knew he was looking down saying thank you dad."

Ryan Sheets, a close friend of Alexander's for about 15 years, said Alexander had a whole room dedicated to baseball collectibles. But their friendship wasn't limited to baseball.

"We've had a lot of things happen and different life experiences and things, but whenever I'm with Matt, I remember who I was when I was 15," Sheets told WTHR. "And I like that person."

"Just hug your kids, tell them you love them," Alexander's mother, Debbie Alexander, said. "You never know when will be the last time you'll see them."

This story will be updated as more details become available.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The former employee who shot and killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis was interviewed by FBI agents last year, after his mother called police to say that her son might commit “suicide by cop,” the bureau said Friday.

Coroners released the names of the victims late Friday, a little less than 24 hours after the latest mass shooting to rock the U.S. Four of them were members of Indianapolis’ Sikh community. The attack was another blow to the Asian American community a month after six people of Asian descent were killed in a mass shooting in the Atlanta area and amid ongoing attacks against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Marion County Coroner’s office identified the dead as Matthew R. Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jaswinder Kaur, 64; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Amarjit Sekhon, 48; Karli Smith, 19; and John Weisert, 74.

RELATED: Authorities identify 8 people killed in mass shooting at Indianapolis FedEx facility

The shooter was identified as Brandon Scott Hole, 19, of Indianapolis, Deputy Police Chief Craig McCartt told a news conference. Investigators searched a home in Indianapolis associated with Hole and seized evidence, including desktop computers and other electronic media, McCartt said.

Hole began firing randomly at people in the parking lot of the FedEx facility late Thursday, killing four, before entering the building, fatally shooting four more people and then turning the gun on himself, McCartt said. He said he did not know if Hole owned the gun legally.

“There was no confrontation with anyone that was there,” he said. “There was no disturbance, there was no argument. He just appeared to randomly start shooting.”

McCartt said the slayings took place in a matter of minutes, and that there were at least 100 people in the facility at the time. Many were changing shifts or were on their dinner break, he said. Several people were wounded, including five who were taken to the hospital.

RELATED: Son arrived moments after mom was wounded in Indianapolis FedEx shooting

“You deserved so much better than this,” a man who identified himself as the grandson of Johal tweeted Friday evening. Johal had planned to work a double shift Thursday so she could take Friday off, according to the grandson, who would not give his full name but identifies himself as “Komal” on his Twitter page. Johal later decided to grab her check and go home, and still had the check in her hand when police found her, Komal said.

“(What) a harsh and cruel world we live in,” he added.

Smith, the youngest of the victims, was last in contact with her family shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, family members said in social media posts late Friday. Dominique Troutman, Smith’s sister, waited hours at the Holiday Inn for an update on her sister. “Words can’t even explain how I feel. ... I’m so hurt,” Troutman said in a Facebook post Friday night.

Weisert had been working as a bag handler at FedEx for four years, his wife, Carol, told WISH-TV. The couple was married nearly 50 years.

President Joe Biden said he had been briefed on the shooting and called gun violence “an epidemic” in the U.S.

“Too many Americans are dying every single day from gun violence. It stains our character and pierces the very soul of our nation,” he said in a statement. Later, he tweeted, “We can, and must, do more to reduce gun violence and save lives.”

RELATED: Indianapolis FedEx shooting is deadliest workplace mass shooting since start of pandemic

A FedEx employee said he was working inside the building Thursday night when he heard several gunshots in rapid succession.

“I see a man come out with a rifle in his hand and he starts firing and he starts yelling stuff that I could not understand,” Levi Miller told WTHR-TV. “What I ended up doing was ducking down to make sure he did not see me because I thought he would see me and he would shoot me.”

Paul Keenan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis field office, said Friday that agents questioned Hole last year after his mother called police to say that her son might commit “suicide by cop.” He said the FBI was called after items were found in Hole’s bedroom but he did not elaborate on what they were. He said agents found no evidence of a crime and that they did not identify Hole as espousing a racially motivated ideology. A police report obtained by The Associated Press shows that officers seized a pump-action shotgun from Hole’s home after responding to the mother’s call. Keenan said the gun was never returned.

McCartt said Hole was a former employee of FedEx and last worked for the company in 2020. The deputy police chief said he did not know why Hole left the job or if he had ties to the workers in the facility. He said police have not yet uncovered a motive for the shooting.

Police Chief Randal Taylor noted that a “significant” number of employees at the FedEx facility are members of the Sikh community, and the Sikh Coalition later issued a statement saying it was “sad to confirm” that at least four of those killed were community members.

The coalition, which identifies itself as the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the U.S., said in the statement that it expected authorities to “conduct a full investigation — including the possibility of bias as a factor.”

Varun Nikore, executive director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, a national advocacy group for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, said in a statement that the shootings marked “yet another senseless massacre that has become a daily occurrence in this country.”

Nikore remarked that gun violence in the U.S. “is reflective of all of the spineless politicians who are beholden to the gun lobby.”

FedEx Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frederick Smith called the shooting a “senseless act of violence.”

“This is a devastating day, and words are hard to describe the emotions we all feel,” he wrote in an email to employees.

The killings marked the latest in a string of recent mass shootings across the country and the third mass shooting this year in Indianapolis. Five people, including a pregnant woman, were shot and killed in the city in January, and a man was accused of killing three adults and a child before abducting his daughter during at argument at a home in March. In other states last month, eight people were fatally shot at massage businesses in the Atlanta area, and 10 died in gunfire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the community must guard against resignation and “the assumption that this is simply how it must be and we might as well get used to it.”