This Sunday, three people were killed and two were injured after a shooter opened fire in a mall food court in Greenwood, Indiana.
The shooter is also dead, having been shot by an armed bystander who authorities credit with stopping the attack. Police have since identified the bystander as Elisjsha Dicken, 22.
3 People Fatally Shot At Indiana Mall Food Court, Shooter Stopped By Armed Bystander
22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 18, 2022
The hero who took down the mass shooter in the Greenwood, Indiana mall last night
He was legally carrying under under Indiana’s Constitutional Carry law. pic.twitter.com/ZxDT0GzC11
“This person saved lives tonight,” Greenwood Mayor Mark W. Myers said in a statement. “On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.”
Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said at a news conference how Dicken, who was at the mall shopping with his girlfriend, has requested privacy while he processes the shooting.
The deceased victims are 56-year-old Pedro Pineda and 37-year-old Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, a married couple, and 30-year-old Victor Gomez. A 12-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman, who was not named, were injured.
“This has shaken us to our core,” Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said in a news conference Sunday night. “This isn’t something we have seen here in Greenwood before — it is absolutely horrendous and our thoughts and prayers are with those loved ones hurting tonight.”
The gunman who killed three people and injured two others at a mall in Greenwood, Indiana, was armed with two rifles, a Glock pistol and more than 100 rounds of ammunition, police said.https://t.co/1UtDTcFwW3
— CNN (@CNN) July 19, 2022
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“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,” Ison added.
The suspect was identified as Jonathan Sapirman, 20. Police said he had over 100 rounds of ammunition and three firearms, which were purchased locally in March. Sapirman regularly visited a shooting range and purchased ammunition there over the past two years, family members told police.
Currently, the motive for the attack is unknown. Police informed Sapirman had no criminal record as an adult, but a few “minor incidents” as a juvenile, including getting into a fight at school and being a runaway. He resigned from his job at a warehouse in May, and police are investigating whether he was in the process of being evicted from his apartment.
Here’s another photo of Elisjsha Dicken, the 22-year-old hero who did what 400 heavily armed officers in Uvalde could not.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 19, 2022
He took down the shooter at the Greenwood, Indiana mall with a pistol he was only allowed to have on him bc the state passed Constitutional Carry. pic.twitter.com/RMw5Tm4hnq
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Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a tweet that he was monitoring the investigation of the shooting and that Indiana State Police were assisting.
“Lives were lost today, and I’m thinking about all the victims of this horrible incident, now and in the days and weeks to come,” Holcomb said.
As of July 1, no permit has been required to carry a handgun in Indiana. This was a law Holcomb signed in March despite the head of the state police said he opposed it due to safety concerns.
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