John Weisert is said to have celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary in the fall.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, victims range in age from 19 to 74 years old.
Their names are: Matthew R. Alexander, 32; Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Kaur, 50; Sekhon, 48; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Karli Smith, 19; and Weisert, 74.
Here’s what we know about them:
Samaria Blackwell
Samaria Blackwell was the youngest of four children and looked up to her older siblings Elijah, Levi and Michaiah, her parents Jeff and Tammi Blackwell said in a statement.
“We have been blessed by the Lord to have such a happy, caring daughter as our family’s baby,” they wrote.
Blackwell played basketball and soccer and had “a tough game face” that “quickly turned into a smile outside of the league,” they said.
She was a true A student who graduated from high school last year and her parents described their daughter as “tenacious in everything she did.”
Blackwell dreamed of becoming a police officer because she wanted to help people, her parents said.
“Although that dream has been cut short, we believe she is currently rejoicing with her Savior in heaven,” they wrote.
Amarjit Sekhon
Amarjit Sekhon emigrated to the United States in 2004 and moved to Indianapolis in 2019 to be closer to her family, according to Rimpi Girn, a close family friend who viewed Sekhon as an aunt.
Girn told CNN that Sekhon had been working in the FedEx facility from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. since November.
Sekhon leaves behind her husband and two sons, ages 13 and 19.
“It’s hard when your mother has gone to work and she’s not coming back tomorrow,” Girn said of Sekhon’s sons.
Girn described Sekhon as “a workaholic and active person” and said that her “entire household came to her.”
Jasvinder kaur
Jasvinder Kaur has two children – a daughter and a son, who still lives in India – and, according to Girn, is the family’s sole breadwinner. Kaur’s daughter is Girn’s sister-in-law.
Kaur also worked on the shift from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., driving to work with Sekhon because she didn’t have her driver’s license yet, Girn said.
Both women hoped to find a day shift job so they wouldn’t have to stay overnight, Girn said.
Kaur came to the United States in 2018 and would send money to support her son in India.
The family is trying to get a visa for Kaur’s son so he can travel to the US for her funeral “and his latest tributes,” Girn said.
Karli Smith
She also attended Crispus Attucks High School, where she played on the softball team. The district said she played basketball and volleyball in high school.
“Administrators, teachers and classmates remember Karli for her sense of humor that often caused smiles and laughter. Karli was a bright light wherever she went. She will be missed by everyone on IPS who knew and loved her”, the statement said.
John Weisert
She told WTHR that she knew something was wrong when her husband didn’t come home at his regular time.
“I thought he might have been in an accident or run off the road or something because he’s older. And they said, ‘No, it’s worse than that. There was a mass shooting,” she told WTHR.
Weisert had worked at the FedEx facility for about four and a half years, WTHR reported.
“He’s just a parcel handler, a retired professional engineer, but after retirement he wanted to keep working. We had to pay off some things, so he took this job,” Weiser told WTHR.
The couple would celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in the fall.
CNN will update this story as more details become available.
CNN’s Sahar Akbarzai and Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this story.