White House ‘horrified’ by Indianapolis shooting

The White House is “horrified” by the late Thursday mass shooting in Indianapolis that killed eight people at a FedEx facility, press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday.

“We are horrified by the shooting overnight at a FedEx facility,” Psaki said. “The president has been briefed by his team this morning, and key aides, including the White House chief of staff and homeland security adviser, have been in touch with local leaders and law enforcement on the ground.”

Psaki pointed to the executive actions President Biden signed last week intended to curb gun violence and reiterated his call on Congress to pass bills expanding background checks, which have passed the House, and to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“The president has spent his entire career working to address gun violence and his determination to act has been redoubled by senseless killings we have seen both in mass shootings like this and in the lives lost to the epidemic of gun violence every single day,” Psaki said.

Asked whether Biden regretted prioritizing infrastructure as his next legislative push over police reform or gun control, Psaki disputed the premise of the question and said that Biden believes leaders can do “more than one thing at one time.”

“We are working on multiple fronts at the same time even as we have introduced a major piece of legislation,” she said.

She said officials across the White House remain engaged on the issue, including Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice and chief of staff Ron Klain, while also putting the onus on the Senate to vote on the bipartisan background check bills that passed the House.

“The president has been working on these issues throughout his career, for decades,” Psaki said. “There is a responsibility and a role of the Senate to play. There is a separation of powers here.”

In addition to the Indianapolis shooting, newly released body camera footage showing a Chicago police officer firing the single shot that killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo has resulted in fresh calls for police reform.  

The White House has said that the executive actions announced last week are only an initial step.

Eight people were killed and several more injured when a gunman opened fire inside and outside a FedEx facility in Indianapolis after 11 p.m. on Thursday. The gunman then took his own life.

A news conference on the shooting was ongoing as Psaki briefed reporters on Friday morning, and she noted that the White House would likely release an official statement from Biden after its conclusion.

The Indianapolis shooting was the latest in a string of mass shootings that have gripped the country in recent weeks, following ones at Atlanta-area massage parlors and a grocery store in Boulder, Colo.