Washington: At least eight people were killed in a shooting at a delivery company by a gunman who is believed to have then turned the gun on himself, police in the US city of Indianapolis said.
The victims all died at a Fedex facility where the shooting took place late Thursday, police spokeswoman Genae Cook told a news conference, adding several other people had been taken to hospital.
One man who was working a twilight shift at the plant near the city’s international airport told local broadcaster WISH-TV he saw the gunman start shooting and heard more than 10 shots.
“I saw a man with a sub-machine gun of some sort, an automatic rifle, and he was firing in the open. I immediately ducked down and got scared,” Jeremiah Miller said.
“My friend’s mother, she came in and told us to get inside the car. What we’ve been doing is telling everyone, our co-workers not to go to work today.”
Cook told reporters that officers had were called to an “active shooter incident” at around 11:00pm (0300 GMT), adding they believe the gunman — who has not been identified — died by suicide.
“The officers responded, they came in, they went in and they did their job. A lot of them are trying to face this because this is a sight that no one should ever have to see,” Cook said.
Authorities judged there was no longer an immediate threat to public safety, Cook told reporters, and police were still gathering information to identify the victims.
“We have located eight people at the scene with injuries consistent to gunshot wounds. Those eight were pronounced deceased at the scene,” Cook said.
A Fedex spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that the company’s facility was the scene of the shooting, and said the firm was cooperating with authorities.
“We are aware of the tragic shooting at our ground facility near the Indianapolis airport,” the company said in a statement.
“Safety is our top priority, and our thoughts are with all those who are affected.” The plant is reported to employ more than 4,000 people. Reuters
