'Keep everybody in prayer': FedEx shooting survivors speak of trauma, pain one year later
Angela Hughley thanks God she was alive for the birth of her first grandchild.
The 42-year-old mother of five was shot in the chest during last April’s mass shooting at a FedEx center on the southwest side of Indianapolis. Eight people were killed in the attack and the shooter took his own life.
Hughley was one of five people injured in the shooting.
"I fell in love with that little, fat baby. He's a good baby,” Hughley said of her grandson Keion born in December. “I love that little boy."
Hughley lives with a bullet in her back and bullet fragments on the left side of her body. The bullet went through her chest, shredded the bottom of her lung, fractured her ribs and scraped her spleen.
Indianapolis: FedEx shooter slipped through gaps in state's 'model' Red Flag law. Could it happen again?
"The doctor told me I had about 10 more minutes before I would've bled out (after being shot),” Hughley said.
The shooting and remaining bullet leave her in constant pain a year later.
“I have nerve damage, so I go to bed with pain,” Hughley said. “I wake up with pain. I feel little shocks throughout the day from the nerves. I've never felt nothing like this before. I wouldn’t wish this pain on my worst enemy.”
In addition to her physical pain, Hughley suffers from depression, anxiety and PTSD because of the shooting. She is seeing a therapist.
“I'll be short with my kids because being in pain makes me angry,” Hughley said. “That causes depression because I want to be by myself. I don't want to be around other people to take my frustrations and anger out on. I withdraw."
FedEx shooting: The Waiting Room: Families' trauma and grief began at a Holiday Inn
Indianapolis FedEx shooting: These are the eight victims
Four minutes at FedEx: Inside the terror of Indianapolis’ deadliest mass shooting in 15 years
Certain things, such as pebbles flying off other vehicles and striking her windshield, trigger panic attacks and PTSD. It forces Hughley to pull over and stop driving.
On April 15, 2021, Hughley was arriving for her shift at the FedEx center when the shooter fired several bullets toward her vehicle. Her second oldest son also worked at the FedEx center and aided his mother in the parking lot after she was shot.
Her son suffers from depression because of the shooting, Hughley said.
"It's been hard for him,” Hughley said. “He hasn't even been able to keep a steady job. It really affected him a lot. Before this, he would have a couple jobs at a time and now it's just hard for him to even stay focused.”
Hughley began working at the FedEx center about seven months before the shooting. She assisted with packages coming off trucks, placing them on a conveyor belt and making sure the labels were facing up.
Earl Johnson, 61, worked in the same department as Hughley. He was coming in for his 11:30 p.m. shift when the shooter fired about 18 bullets at his vehicle in the parking lot.
Johnson was struck in the shoulder and lives with bullet fragments inside his body and pain.
"From a mental standpoint it's a challenge," Johnson said. "I'm just trying to battle through it."
Johnson worked at the FedEx center for about five years and knew two people killed in the shooting. His wife, Annie Johnson, also worked there and was waiting in line for her check when the shooter entered the building and started firing.
Annie Johnson suffered minor injuries. She and Earl Johnson have both seen a therapist for help with their mental health since last April.
Indiana: The FedEx shooting traumatized many Sikh workers. A year later, a new program aims to help
'100% preventable': 5 families file lawsuit nearly year after Indiana FedEx shooting
"My kids could have lost both of us in that tragedy," Earl Johnson said. "We are just reflecting on God's grace and his mercy. Those that didn't survive, we sympathize with them and just pray that their family can get through it."
Hughley stays in touch with Earl Johnson and remembers the FedEx center being a good work environment with friendly coworkers. She thinks about the people who lost their lives.
“Remember those people because they were somebody's family,” Hughley said. “They were loved ones... (We) did not deserve what happened to us. Our lives are destroyed. Our family's lives are destroyed.”
She encourages everyone with mental health issues to seek help.
“All I can tell people is therapy works,” Hughley said. “If you know someone who has mental health problems, get them help. There is nothing wrong with asking for help and when one door closes, bang on another one.”
Hughley said she is dreading the calendar turning to April 15.
“I don't know what we are going to do but I know whatever it is I will be spending time with my kids,” Hughley said. “I know there were people we lost and I came so close to that. Keep everybody in prayer. That's all.”
Earl Johnson plans to get breakfast with a friend on the anniversary of the shooting to talk through his feelings and celebrate his recovery. He tries to keep an active mind to avoid thinking too much about what happened that day.
"Just think on getting closer to family," Earl Johnson said. "Cherish the moments you have because you don't ever know when the last time will be."
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: FedEx mass shooting survivors discuss trauma, recovery
