At least three people were killed and two others injured after a mass shooting that happened at a suburban Indianapolis shopping mall.
The gunman walked into the Greenwood Park Mall with a rifle and opened fire before a civilian carrying a firearm shot and killed him, according to police.
Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said the ‘Good Samaritan’ is a 22-year-old man from nearby Bartholomew County,
“The real hero of the day is the citizen that was lawfully carrying a firearm in that food court and was able to stop the shooter almost as soon as he began,” said Ison, who didn’t disclose details about the civilian, including whether the person was exempt from the mall’s ban on people carrying weapons on the property.
According to Simon Property Group’s code of conduct, last updated in April of 2020, “No weapons” are allowed on property,
“All Simon shopping centers expressly retain the right to revise or modify this code of conduct as necessary. Any exceptions to this code of conduct will be determined by local center management in its sole discretion.”
However, if the ‘Good Samaritan’ was not carrying a firearm, according to Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers, many more people would have lost their lives,
“Someone we are calling the ‘Good Samaritan’ was able to shoot the assailant and stop further bloodshed. This person saved lives tonight. On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.”
Four of the mall shooting victims were female and one was male, Ison said. He didn’t immediately know the sexes or ages of those who were killed. The 12-year-old girl and the other wounded person were in stable condition, he said.
The dead gunman has not yet been identified, neither has the motive for the shooting.
Ison said first responders were alerted five minutes after the gunman entered the food court at around 6pm local time, and that a bomb squad was investigating an suspicious backpack found in the bathroom area.
