GREENWOOD, IN –
Three people were killed and two were injured after a man entered a suburban Indianapolis shopping center and opened fire before he was shot dead by an armed civilian, authorities said.
The shooter, whose name and possible motive have not been made public, entered the Greenwood Park Mall with a rifle and several rounds of ammunition shortly before it closed at 6 p.m. Sunday and began shooting in the food court, the prosecutor said. Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison. he said at a news conference.
A 22-year-old man from nearby Bartholomew County shot and killed the attacker, Ison said. The investigation is ongoing and authorities have not said if the attacker shot all of the victims or if some may have been caught in the crossfire. Authorities are expected to release more details of the investigation at a news conference later Monday.
“The real hero of the day is the citizen who was legally carrying a firearm in that food court and was able to stop the shooter almost as soon as it started,” said Ison, who would not disclose details about the civilian, even if the person was exempt. of the mall’s ban on people carrying guns on the property.
As of July 1, Indiana law allows anyone over the age of 18 to carry a firearm in public, except for prohibited reasons, such as having a felony conviction, facing a restraining order, or having a medical condition. mentally dangerous as determined by a court. The Republican-dominated Indiana Legislature retained provisions in the law that allow private owners to ban firearms.
Sunday’s attack was just the latest in a series of mass shootings across the US. Schools, churches, grocery stores and a 4th of July parade near Chicago have become killing fields in recent months, though the country’s staggering murder rate can often be seen more clearly. in individual murders that rarely make major headlines.
Four of the mall shooting victims were women and one was a man, Ison said. She did not immediately know the sex or age of those who were killed. The 12-year-old girl and the other injured are in stable condition, she said.
Police seized a suspicious backpack that was in a bathroom near the food court, Ison said.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and many other agencies were assisting in the investigation.
“We are sickened by another type of incident like this in our country,” Indianapolis Deputy Police Chief Chris Bailey said.
Mark Myers, mayor of Greenwood, a suburb of about 60,000 people south of Indianapolis, asked the public to pray for the victims and first responders.
“This tragedy strikes at the core of our community,” Myers said in a statement.
Greenwood Park Mall said in a statement that it feels sorry for the victims and praised first responders as well as the “heroic actions” of the 22-year-old who police say killed the attacker. The mall was closed on Monday.
“Violence has no place in this or any other community,” the mall said.