A gunman entered an Indiana mall with a rifle and multiple ammo magazines on Sunday before opening fire in the food court, killing three before being shot and killed by a civilian. Two more victims have been transported to local hospitals with injuries.
The shooting took place at Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis.
Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison addressed the media outside of the mall. “As you can imagine, this type of situation is horrible. It has rocked us to the core.”
Greenwood Mayor Mark W. Myers issued the following statement:
“We experienced a mass shooting this evening at the Greenwood Park Mall. The Greenwood Police Department is in control of the scene. I am in direct contact with the command post, and there is no further threat. I would ask the public to please stay away from this area.
We have three fatalities at this time and three others injured. The shooter is among the deceased. He was shot by an armed individual. Anyone who may have information on the shooting should go to the Greenwood Police Center [at] 736 Loews Blvd or call Johnson County Dispatch at 317.346.6336.
This tragedy hits at the core of our community.
Please offer your prayers to the victims and our first responders.”
It is not clear what is causing the differentiating reports on the number of individuals killed, It is likely that the Mayor’s statement came before another death was confirmed.
At a third and final press conference of the day, Ison confirmed that there were five victims of the shooting, one male and four females. Three were killed and two remain in the hospital. The two injured are in stable condition, he said. Ison did not provide further information on the victims.
According to the Associated Press, officers arrived at the scene around 6 p.m. A backpack was also found in a bathroom near the food court, and police have confiscated it for the time being. Ison says they have since determined that it did not contain explosive devices but declined to go into further details about its contents.
Ison stated that he will hold another press conference tomorrow. He praised not only his office but called the “real hero” the citizen who stopped the shooting. He did not reveal the civilian’s name but said he was a 22-year-old male from Bartholomew County, just south of Greenwood.
Ison went on to say that he does not know the motive of the shooter or if he targeted his victims.
Indiana recently passed a law, allowing most citizens to conceal carry handguns in public without getting a license. Police are also not allowed to ask anyone they see carrying a gun for their license and no criminal background checks are required. That law went into effect on July 1.
The rifle used by the gunman has been described as a “long gun,” but no other details were provided.
That the shooter was stopped by a civilian instantly started a debate over the efficacy of the second amendment.