These are the victims of the FedEx facility shooting

Eight people were killed in the shooting Thursday night at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, aged 19 to 74.

All were facility employees, some just arriving for the 11pm shift. Four of them were members of the Sikh community, which local leaders said should be taken into account in the ongoing investigation into the shooter’s motive. The 19-year-old, who previously worked at the FedEx facility, committed suicide after opening fire in the parking lot and inside.

It was the latest of several mass shootings over the past month. So far, in 2021, at least 5,530 people have died as a result of gun violence, not including those who committed suicide, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

A vigil is scheduled for Sunday evening on the steps of the town hall for the victims. Here’s how friends and family remember them:

Amarjit Sekhon, 48 years old

Amarjit Sekhon, 48, leaves two sons and her husband. Her brother-in-law, Kuldip Sekhon, told The Associated Press that she started working at the FedEx facility in November and “was a dedicated worker with a disabled husband.”

“She was a workaholic, she always worked, worked,” he said. “She would never stay still … the other day she had the [COVID-19 vaccine] and she was really sick, but she still went to work.

Sekhon’s son, Diljot Sekhon, 22, echoed this sentiment about his mother at the Indianapolis Star, saying, “She was working countless hours a week just so she could feed everyone in the house. the House. She did all she could for her two children and her husband.

His mother had been helping support his family since arriving in the United States, he added.

“She did her best,” he told The Star. “And that’s exactly how she died; she was going to work.”

Jasvinder Kaur, 50 years old

Jasvinder Kaur, fifty, was a relative of Sekhon. According to the Washington Post, Kaur did not have her driver’s license, so Sekhon drove her to work every day. The two of them were gunned down in the parking lot of the FedEx facility when they arrived to work their 11pm shift.

Kaur immigrated to the United States from India three years ago to be closer to her daughter, the Post reported, and still has a 26-year-old son in India that she hoped to bring to the United States. These plans have been postponed due to COVID-19.

Amarjeet Kaur Johal, 66

Amarjeet Kaur Johal, 66, was a mother and grandmother as well as a member of the Sikh community in Indianapolis. Johal’s granddaughter tweeted about the loss of her nanjii, saying, “She was going to work a double so that she could take a day off today, but decided to just take her check and go home.”

“She still had her check in hand when they found her,” the tweet continued. “What a harsh and cruel world we live in.”

The granddaughter too tweeted a photo of Johal, writing, “You deserved so much better than this.”

“She just celebrated her 66th birthday like yesterday and today was her granddaughter’s birthday. Life is so short, man ” she tweeted. “Hold your family close because the world is twisted. Cherish every moment and keep no hatred in your heart. Fill your life with happiness and irreplaceable memories. “

Jaswinder Singh, 68

Jaswinder Singh, 68, had only worked at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis for a few weeks before being shot while trying to collect his first paycheck. One of Singh’s nephews who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity said Singh immigrated to the United States eight years ago and recently took over the FedEx job because “he ‘bored at home’ and knew that other Punjabi immigrants were employed there.

“They knew a lot of people who worked there. They just carpooled together. It was a well paid job. Lots of older Punjabis worked there, ”said the nephew. “He was always positive, always nice and I never saw him angry. He came at random to say hello.

Samaria Blackwell, 19

Nineteen-year-old Samaria Blackwell, who worked at the FedEx facility for two months, has been described by her family as “a loving and caring girl” who was a straight-A student as well as an athlete.

“Samaria has been tenacious in everything she’s done, from basketball and soccer to being a lifeguard for Indy Parks. On the pitch or on the soccer field, she had a tough game face, but it quickly turned into a smile outside of the competition, ”Blackwell’s family said in a statement. They also wrote that the teenager was the “baby” of her family and admired her older siblings and that she “dreamed of becoming a police officer”.

“Although this dream has been cut short, we believe that at this time she is rejoicing in heaven with her Savior,” the statement continued. “On this side of heaven we cry, but not like those who have no hope, for we recognize that the life of Samaria has only just begun.”

The Blackwell family also set up a GoFundMe for Samaira’s funeral expenses.

Karli Smith, 19

Karli Smith, another 19-year-old who was killed, was only working at FedEx two weeks before Thursday’s shooting. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Smith graduated from high school in 2020. Indianapolis Public Schools issued a statement saying Smith “was known as a hardworking and dedicated student.”

“At Crispus Attucks, she played on the softball team and was loved by her teammates and coaches. She also played basketball and volleyball in college at Daniel Webster, ”the statement said. “Administrators, teachers and classmates remember Karli for her sense of humor which often elicited smiles and laughter. Karli was a bright light everywhere she went. She will be sadly missed by all at IPS who knew and loved her. “

Smith’s family paid tribute to him on Facebook as well. His sister Dominique Troutman wrote: “I miss your sister. I love you man, words can’t even explain how I’m feeling. I’m so hurt behind this. I will love you forever and you will never be forgotten.

Matthew Alexander, 32

Matthew R. Alexander, 32, was loved by his colleagues, according to the Indianapolis Star. Former FedEx driver Albert Ashcraft told the newspaper that “everyone loved” Alexander, especially because when people brought donuts, he made sure the drivers got them too.

“He was a great kid. He loved to play golf. Had a big heart – always had a smile on her face, ”Ashcraft told The Star. “All it took to make a truck driver happy is what he did. He just wasn’t the regular dispatcher. He was a good kid. Thirty-two years, you know, have been deprived of my life. It’s truly sad.”

Butler University, where Alexander attended school, also tweeted about the Saturday tragedy.

“The Butler community mourns the loss of Matthew Alexander, a former student who was tragically killed along with seven other people at FedEx premises in Indianapolis. We want to express our deepest condolences to Matthew’s friends and families during this time of great sadness.

John “Steve” Weisert, 74 years old

John “Steve” Weisert was the oldest victim at 74.

He accepted the position of FedEx package manager after retiring as an engineer to pay some bills, his wife, Mary Carol Weisert, told WTHR. The couple are said to have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

When Weisert did not return home on April 15 when he usually does, his wife said she felt “panicked”.

“I just immediately [felt] horror, terror, horror, fear, shock, ”Mary Carol Weisert told WTHR. “I mean, you know, I don’t know how to describe it any other way. It actually bothered me physically. I started to shake like a leaf.

According to the Washington Post, Weisert was a first lieutenant in the Air Force. His wife also told WTHR that he continued his career as a professional engineer and that four and a half years ago he accepted the position at FedEx. He planned to retire from his job at the facility in six weeks.

The couple had recovered from COVID-19 earlier this year and were fully vaccinated, delighted to see their daughter in Seattle.

“It was miraculous that he was able to survive COVID,” their stepdaughter Jenny Kriger told The Post. “Yet it ended up taking him.