Vigils for Indy FedEx victims held in California
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two thousand miles away from the mass shooting at a FedEx in Indianapolis, members of the Gurdwara Sikh San Jose Temple gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor the eight victims who died.
Event organizer Amar Singh said within 5 or 6 hours of learning of the shooting, he knew they needed to act and show support Friday.
“It wasn’t even a second thought. We’re holding a candlelight vigil for everyone who lost someone in that senseless crime,” Singh said. “At that point we didn’t know how many people we lost. We know there was a select number from our community and at that point we wanted to take care of all the victims.”
Four of the eight victims share the Sikh faith, and a large percentage of the workforce at that particular FedEx share a Punjabi heritage, according to sources Singh spoke with. He said many of the people who gathered in San Jose know families who moved to Indianapolis from California during the recession.
“I would let the brothers and sisters in Indianapolis know we’re always standing in support,” he said. “I know these are tough times and we’ll get through them but I want them to know it’s not just California standing with them. It’s the entire world standing with them.”
The congregation at the Bay Area temple have gathered in the past for other national shootings. Videos on their social media accounts show gatherings for the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2015 and a Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin in 2012.
The Sikh-American Youth will gather again Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time for another candlelight vigil.