Indianapolis has already struggled with an increasing number of murders when a gunman killed 8 in a FedEx plant

Indianapolis has already struggled with an increasing number of murders when a gunman killed 8 in a FedEx plant

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The killings are the latest mass shooting in America – a worrying recurrence that has seen at least 45 such tragedies in the US since March 16, when eight people were killed in three spas in Atlanta.

It was also Indianapolis’ third mass shooting in the first four months of the year.

CNN defines a mass shooting as a shooting incident that results in four or more casualties (dead or wounded), excluding the shooter or shooters.

The city is now engaged in the FedEx shooting, which claimed more lives than those lost during the January shooting.

“I have not seen this capacity in a short period of time in terms of the number of massacre shootings,” Alfarena McGinty, deputy coroner for Marion County, said at a news conference on Friday. “It’s very upsetting to our whole community.”

Police believe the suspect in the FedEx shooting, identified as former FedEx employee Brandon Hole, 19, killed himself when officers encountered him. The motive for the shooting is not immediately clear.

Police ID gunman kills eight people at an Indianapolis FedEx facility as a 19-year-old former employee

“Nothing we learn can heal the wounds of those who escaped with their lives, but who will now bear the scars and endure the memories of this heinous crime,” Mayor Joe Hogsett told the news conference.

In addition to these three shootings, Indianapolis has faced an increasing number of homicides.

In 2020, 214 people will die from culpable homicide in Indianapolis – an increase of nearly 40% from the previous year and the city’s highest annual score according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

According to Thursday, there were 69 crimes in Indianapolis, including the FedEx shooting, according to IMPD lieutenant Shane Foley – a 50% increase over the same period last year.

‘I do think (the FedEx shooting) is a reflection of the kind of behavior we see in the streets, leading to so many non-fatal shootings, stabbings and murders that we are now seeing at a record pace. in Indianapolis, ”said Rev. Charles Harrison, a local pastor and anti-violence activist.

Indianapolis is not alone in the increasing number of homicides. In metropolitan areas across the country, homicides increased by nearly 33% from 2019 to 2020, according to data provided by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a professional organization of police executives representing the largest cities in the U.S.

Some areas where mass killings took place this year also saw an increase in killings in 2020. In Atlanta, there were 157 murders last year – an increase of nearly 59% from the previous year, according to MCCA data.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, there were 122 homicides in 2020 – an 18% increase over the previous year, according to MCCA data.

Earlier this month, former NFL player Phillip Adams fatally shot six people at a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina – just across the border from Charlotte. Adams then killed himself, authorities said.
Hogsett said he, along with 150 mayors across the country, signed a letter last week asking the U.S. Senate to consider legislation that requires background checks when transferring firearms between private citizens.

At the local level, he said: “We will make it clear to our governor and legislative leadership where I stand on these issues.”

Civic leaders like Harrison are frustrated by the escalating violence.

Harrison said: “If we can not address the daily violence, we will certainly not be able to address the mass shooting, and I consider that a connection.”

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