Gunman who killed 3 in Indiana mall food court shot dead by bystander, police say
Three people were fatally shot and two were injured Sunday evening at an Indiana mall after a man with a rifle opened fire in a food court and an armed civilian shot and killed him, police said.
The man entered the Greenwood Park Mall with a rifle and several magazines of ammunition and began firing in the food court, Greenwood Police Department Chief Jim Ison said.
An armed civilian killed the man, Ison said at a news conference. In total, four people were killed and two were injured, he said. Ison said there was one male and four female victims, but could not say which of those had been killed and which had been wounded. He later said that the two people who were injured are in stable condition. One was a 12-year-old girl who suffered a "minor" wound.
"She went home, told her parents and they called us and we responded," Ison said. "She was transported to the hospital for a checkout. She is expected to be just fine."
The man who killed the shooter was not identified, but Ison described him as a 22-year-old man from Bartholemew County
Officers went to the mall at about 6 p.m. for reports of the shooting. Authorities were searching the mall for any other victims, but they believe the shooting was contained to the food court. "We are confident that there are no additional threats at this time," Ison said.
Police confiscated a suspicious backpack that was in a bathroom near the food court, Ison said. The backpack did not contain any explosive devices, Ison said Sunday night, but he would not elaborate on what was found inside.
Authorities could not say Sunday night whether the victims were targeted or shot at random or what the motive for the shooting may have been.
The mass shooting was just the latest to unnerve Americans in 2022. Schools, churches, grocery stores and a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Illinois, have all become killing grounds in recent months. Still, the reality of America's staggering murder rate can often be seen more clearly in individual deaths that rarely make the news.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police and multiple other agencies are assisting in the investigation.
"We are sickened by yet another type of incident like this in our country," Indianapolis Assistant Chief of Police Chris Bailey said.
There was no threat to the area Sunday night, authorities said.
Greenwood is a south suburb of Indianapolis with a population of about 60,000. Mayor Mark Myers asked for "prayers to the victims and our first responders."
"This tragedy hits at the core of our community," Myers said in a statement.
Authorities said they would provide more details Monday.
