Deaf Indianapolis FedEx employees describe shooting

Alex: Here is an interview with two deaf FedEx employees who were at the Indianapolis facility that went through a mass shooting on April 15 in which eight people died.

Alex: Hello! Can you introduce your names and tell us how long you’ve been working with FedEx?

Chandra Boyd: I’m Chandra Boyd. I’ve been working at FedEx for four years.

Angela Burdine: I’m Angela Burdine. I’ve been working at FedEx for five months.

Alex: Angela and Chandra were in a van in a parking lot and were getting ready to go inside and start their shift on Thursday night when the shooting broke out.

Chandra: I first noticed it from the vibrations in the van, which I guessed was from a shooting.

Angela: Right. At first I was on my phone and she said it feels like there’s something loud going on. She was right. I thought maybe it was a joke like someone banging on her van, then we saw a man running by. As a joke, I said maybe he’s playing hide and seek. She laughed, because we thought it was impossible for that to happen at FedEx. I was being sarcastic. I got out of the van, and the noise continued. A friend was minding their business in the trunk of their truck, and I went back in the van.

Chandra: When that happened, I saw a car parked there and a person had red splatters, and that man was moving. I felt like… I saw people move while killed from the shooting. I didn’t know what to do. The shooter went into the building and a man ran to us and said there was still shooting going on in the building. We had to stay and wait, because other deaf people were about to arrive and we didn’t want them to be clueless. We’d rather save them too. So finally, they pulled up and we let them know so they left, and we went somewhere else. That man who was working on his truck didn’t know what to do because the truck still wasn’t working. We kept driving around to tell that man to not worry about the truck and join us, because his life is important, not the car. We got in the van and left.

Alex: Both drove away and stopped on a road, where they saw many police officers and first responders swarm to the scene.

[Video clip showing many police officers’ sirens outside of a FedEx facility]

Alex: Did you see that person, the shooter? Did you see him or do you know him?

Chandra: Yes. I saw him at that time when he was shooting the white car. He shot at the car then went into the building and kept shooting. I didn’t see him inside, but I saw him outside.

Alex: He could have hit you while you were standing outside.

Angela: Right. I was outside. I was standing outside. The man in that van got killed next to us. I keep thinking about that.

Chandra: The lights were on. We weren’t sure what to do. It was overwhelming.

Alex: Both said FedEx has been very supportive of employees as they cope with the trauma of the shooting. They have been taking time off work since the shooting, but they will resume working at the facility soon.

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Alex: Four of the eight victims were a part of the Indianapolis Sikh community. I asked them to share what they know.

Alex: Wow. Eight people died. Half of them, four people, were part of the Sikh community.

Angela: Yes. I know one of them, my team leader’s aunt. She was standing in line to pick up her check and when she was shot, she died still holding her check. Wow.

Chandra: The reason that many Sikh people were shot inside is because they tend to use a table where the entrance is, so they were right there and the HR office was in that hallway they were in. That’s why they were easily in the range of the shooting.

Alex: They happened to be there, a Sikh group that was gathered, during the shooting.

Angela: Every Thursday is when people usually get their paychecks. It happened on Thursday night, when people usually pick up their checks.

Alex: There were a total of six deaf employees on that night. I asked Angela and Chandra about what policies may be changed and improved because of this incident.

Alex: How did that shooting impact you both at your workplace as deaf people? Do you wish you had better access or would you have done something differently after the fact? How did that impact you?

Angela: Now they’re working on letting us use our phones because they used to ban it but many parents and families went to that hotel near the FedEx location because employees didn’t have their phones and left them in their car. So they will let us have phones - they’re talking about that.

Chandra: Also, while the shooting was happening outside, some workers did try to call other workers inside but there was no answer because they didn’t have their phone with them. How could they contact them to let them know? They could have had a lockdown to prevent the shooting there, but…

Alex: Deaf people also rely on phones more. Hearing people could shout, but deaf people need their phones for that kind of communication. I hope that means you can bring your phones to work going forward?

Angela: I hope.

Chandra: That’s still in discussion.

Alex: Understood.

Alex: Thank you both for your time and willingness to share your experiences. Our thoughts are with you all in Indianapolis and at FedEx during this time.