Arizona Sikh community mourns loss of victims in Indianapolis shooting

Arizona's Sikh community, along with the rest of the nation, is mourning the death of four Sikhs who died and others who were injured Thursday after police say a man fired randomly inside and outside a FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis.

On Thursday evening, police responded to the FedEx Ground facility on the southwest side of Indianapolis for a report of shots fired at a business near the Indianapolis International Airport, where police found "a very chaotic and active crime scene," according to USA Today. 

Police said Brandon Hole, 19, a former employee, fatally shot eight people from ages 19 to 74, who were identified Friday, according to USA Today. Police said they believe the gunman died by suicide. 

At least four of the victims who were killed were identified as members of the Sikh community in Indiana, according to the Sikh Coalition. The four Sikh victims included three women, Amarjit Kaur Sekhon, 48; Jaswinder Kaur, 64; and Amarjit Kaur Johal, 66; and a man, Jaswinder Singh, 68. 

Police said a motive for the shooting has not yet been determined, but members of the Sikh community, including in Arizona, said they are saddened by the loss of the victims in the shooting. This is the sixth week in a row a mass killing has occurred in the U.S. 

"Nobody knows the motive of that person, but the Sikh community on the whole is on the edge, that I can say," said Dr. Jaswant Singh Sachdev, who is well known in and has been part of the Arizona Sikh community for 50 years. 

"We are worried, like anybody else should be, there's so many killings this year," he said. "That's very, very unfortunate." 

A joint-statement released Saturday by eight Indianapolis-area gurdwaras said the FedEx facility targeted by the gunman was "well known for having a large Sikh workforce." 

"Given everything our community has experienced in the past — the pattern of violence, bigotry, and backlash we have faced — it is impossible not to feel that same pain and targeting in this moment," the statement said.

Indianapolis shooting most 'shocking news' for US Sikh community since 2012

Rana Singh Sodhi, a Mesa man who is an Indian Sikh immigrant, said Thursday’s Indianapolis shooting is the most "shocking news” for the Sikh community since 2012, when a 40-year-old gunman fatally shot six people and wounded three in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Sodhi said he received several calls from the Phoenix Sikh community on Friday. Sachdev also said people at a Phoenix gudwara were worried on Friday evening.

“People are concerned about, you know, is that a hate crime?” Sodhi said.

Since the 9/11 attacks, when Osama bin Laden was shown on TV wearing a turban, the Sikh community has faced discrimination and violence because people confuse them with people who are Muslim or other religions.

"By the Sikh Coalition’s estimate, Sikh Americans remain hundreds of times more likely to experience bigotry, bias, and backlash than their fellow Americans," the Sikh Coalition said in a statement on Friday.

Days after the Twin Tower attacks in 2001, Arizona was one of the first places to see violence against Sikhs in the nation. Sodhi’s brother, Balbir Sodhi, was fatally shot by a man at his gas station in Mesa days after 9/11 because the man thought his brother was Arab.

Sodhi has spoken out about misinformation and hate against the Sikh community to help educate people on Sikhs since his brother died. “After 9/11, there’s so many incidents that happen, hate crimes,” Sodhi said.

"Sikhs on the whole all over the country have been living a life where they're always concerned," Sachdev said. "We are scared, there's no doubt about it ... always in the back of our mind, that issue is always there." 

This week, Sachdev said Sikhs are celebrating Vaisakhi, which recognizes the year when Sikhism became established as a collective faith in 1699. While Sachdev and Sodhi said they are not aware of any vigils planned in the Phoenix area, Sikhs will remember those who died in their prayers. 

What is Sikhism? 

Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion worldwide, according to the Sikh Coalition, which says that about 500,000 Sikhs live in the United States. Sikhs have been part of the U.S. for more than 125 years, the coalition said.

Sikhs are from Punjab, northern India, and are not associated with Hindus or Muslims. They believe in one god, equality, freedom of religion and community service. Sikhs place of worship is known as a gurdwara. 

Many practicing Sikhs can be distinguished by their articles of faith, including unshorn hair and a turban, according to the Sikh Coalition. Sachdev said most people in western nations wearing a turban and a beard are part of the Sikh religion.

"Those who wear turban and keep beard are not ... terrorist. This is part of our faith. Like people dress up to go to work, I have to have my turban on if I leave my house and I have to have uncut hair underneath it," Sachdev said.

Reach the reporter at Audrey.Jensen@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter at @Audreyj101.