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In the Greenwood Park Mall, located in Indiana, three individuals were killed in a shooting that ended with a gunman fatally shot, says city authorities. An additional two people were also hospitalized in the shooting. The shooting began when a man with a rifle, along with several magazines of ammo, entered the mall’s food court and then started firing. Chief of Greenwood Police Department, Jim Ison said that officials had not indicated a motive for the shooting nor did they immediately release the identify the gunman.
Later on, authorities stated that the public faced no further threat and that they had everything under the control at the scene. Mayor Mark Myers asked the public to stay away from the area while the investigation was underway.
On July 17, 2022, the local Emergency Call Center began receiving reports around 6 p.m. about the shooting, said Chief Ison. “It appears that a good samaritan [who] was armed observed the shooting in progress and shot the [gunman],” he added.
Ison had identified the bystander only as a 22-year-old man named Elisjsha Dicken, who lives about 35 miles south of the mall. The police chief added that Dicken was lawfully carrying a gun. In a statement, Mayor Myers praised the man’s actions, and the heroic decisions he made that day.
Chief Ison had said that authorities could not process the crime scene at the mall until the state bomb squad could determine whether a suspicious backpack that was left in one of the mall’s bathrooms was dangerous. Investigators did not find an explosive device and cleared the backpack.
Elisjsha Dicken, a 22-year-old, Stops Mall Shooter by Killing Him
The 22-year-old was shopping with his girlfriend at the Greenwood Park Mall on Sunday, July 17th when Jonathan Sapirman, 20, started shooting 24 rounds. The bullets hit and killed Pedro Pineda, 56, Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, 37, and Victor Gomez, age 30. A 12-year-old girl suffered a minor injuring her back.
Sapirman waited in the mall bathroom for around an hour then walked out into the food court firing a Sauer 400M rifle that he legally purchased this past March. It’s not clear if he intentionally shot these people or if it was random.
Dicken had reached for his handgun swiftly, shooting Sapirman dead just two minutes after he first fired his weapon. “His actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun and was very proficient,” Police Chief Ison described.
Dicken had no prior experience in military or law enforcement of any kind. The security footage of him shows how calmly he handled the situation. He gestured to the crowd to leave and evacuate, then he safely pointed his handgun at Sapirman. Many have thanked and acknowledged his heroic bravery.
Dicken’s lawyer stated he is a true American hero who saved many lives during such a horrific event. The attorney noted it could have been so much worse if it was not for Dicken’s “Courage, preparedness, and willingness to protect others.” He politely declined to further speak out of the respect for the victims and for the ongoing police investigations.
Written by Zaylah De La Torre
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
New York Times: 4 Dead in Indiana Mall shooting Officials Say; By Vimal Patel and Melina Delkic
Daily Mail: Good Samaritan, 22, who shot dead Indiana mall gunman, 20, just two minutes after he opened fire killing three people; By JENNIFER SMITH, CHIEF REPORTER
Inset Image Courtesy of SIM USA, Courtesy of (Flickr CC0) – Creative Commons License
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Rene Schwietzke, Courtesy of (Flickr CC0) – Creative Commons License