The Sikh community here is in mourning after four members were killed in the mass shooting at the FedEx warehouse.

The police department has identified Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jaswinder Kaur, 64; Jaswinder Singh, 68; and Amarjit Sekhon among the eight deceased.

Amarjeet Kaur Johal

On Thursday night, Amarjeet Kaur Johal’s family was awaiting her to return from her late shift at the FedEx facility so they could cut a cake to celebrate her granddaughter’s birthday at midnight. She didn’t make it home.

“She was working a half shift that day so she could come home earlier, said Harmandeep Sidhu, 23, one of her grandsons. “She wrapped up her meal break sooner than the others she was car-pooling with. She told them she was going to warm up the car and wait for them outside.”

Now Johal’s family imagines scenarios that might have saved her life. “We keep thinking maybe she should have been working a full shift; that way she would have been further inside the facility, away from the range of the shooter,” said Komal Chohan, 25, a granddaughter.

“Maybe she could have eaten just one more roti and stayed inside,” Sidhu said.

Johal, 66, had moved to the US to be closer to her children and their families during a wave of migration of Sikhs to north America after anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in India.

Four years ago, she decided to get a job at FedEx. “We all told her there was no need for her to work,” Chohan said. “But she wanted something of her own. She wanted to work and she was great at her job.”

Johal enjoyed watching Indian TV soap operas and visiting her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, often showering them with presents. On weekends, she prayed at the Gurdwara Sahib of Indianapolis, Chohan said.

“We’re still in disbelief,” Chohan said. “We keep imagining her coming home and saying ‘Haha! Gotcha!’ Instead we’re left with this tragedy.”

Jasvinder Kaur

Kaur was supposed to make her renowned yogurt at a large family celebration for her granddaughter’s second birthday on Saturday, according to a relative, Rimpi Girn. Kaur is the mother of Girn’s sister-in-law.

“And today we’re gathering to plan a funeral,” she said.

Kiran Deol, 28, a family friend who called Kaur her aunt, said: “All she did was think of her sons back in India all the time.”

At a gathering last Sunday, Kaur had asked Girn to help her get a driver’s licence since she was travelling to her night shifts at FedEx with Sekhon. “No more licence for her,” she said.

The authorities said Kaur was 64. Her family said she was 50.

Amarjit Sekhon

Sekhon moved to Indiana from Ohio to be closer to family. She leaves behind two sons, aged 14 and 19, according to Rimpi Girn, a niece.

She began working at FedEx about six months ago on an overnight shift from 11pm to 11am.

Girn said she had struggled to explain the loss to Sekhon’s youngest son. “We can’t even think of what to tell him,” Girn said. “All of a sudden last night his mom went to work, and she never came back.”

Jigna Shah, a family friend, described Sekhon as a kind soul. They met about nine years ago through temple, and their families loved spending time together. On the weekends, they attended temple and cooked lentils and sweets.

Officials said Sekhon’s age was 48. Her family said it was 49. Sekhon was the sole breadwinner of her family.

Jaswinder Singh

Singh had just started working at the FedEx facility this week and told everyone how excited he was to get his first paycheck, according to Harjap Singh Dillon, whose sister was married to one of Singh’s sons. He was working the night shift sorting mail. “He was going to get his first check,” Dillon said. “He didn’t get it.”

Singh lived with his son in the Indianapolis suburb of Homecoming, near their local temple. He was active doing community service with his temple, Dillon said. “We are a very close family.”

The authorities said Singh was 68, while his family said he was 70.