GREENWOOD, Ind. (AP) – Three people were fatally shot and two were wounded Sunday night at an Indiana mall when a man with a rifle opened fire in a food court and an armed citizen shot and killed him, police said.
The man walked into the Greenwood Park Mall with a rifle and several magazines of ammunition and began shooting in the food court, Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said.
A 22-year-old man from nearby Bartholomew County who was legally carrying a firearm at the mall shot and killed the gunman, Ison said at a news conference.
Four of those hit by gunfire were women and one was a man, Ison said. He did not immediately know the specific gender or age of those killed.
He said a 12-year-old girl was among the two injured, and both were in stable condition.
Police seized a suspicious backpack that was in a bathroom near the food court, Ison said.
Officers went to the mall about 6 p.m. for reports of shots fired.
“The real hero of the day is the citizen who was legally carrying a firearm in that focus field and was able to stop the shooter almost as soon as he started,” Eason said.
The mass shooting was just the latest to roil Americans in 2022. Schools, churches, grocery stores and a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, have all become graveyards in recent months. However, the reality of America’s shocking murder rate can often be seen most clearly in individual deaths that rarely make the news.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and several other agencies are assisting in the investigation.
“We’re sick of another type of incident like this in our country,” said Indianapolis Police Assistant Chief Chris Bailey.
There was no threat to the area Sunday night, authorities said.
Greenwood is a southern suburb of Indianapolis with a population of approximately 60,000. Mayor Mark Myers asked for “prayers for the victims and our first responders.”
“This tragedy strikes at the core of our community,” Myers said in a statement.
Authorities said they would release more details on Monday.
