Police are calling an armed citizen “the real hero of the day,” and CNN isn’t happy to report that. An Indiana mall shooting rampage which killed three and left two more injured “ended after an armed witness shot and killed the assailant.”
Armed citizen saves the day
Police started getting 911 calls around 6 p.m. local time Sunday, July 17, when “multiple people” alerted them to “an active shooter at the Greenwood Park Mall.” Chief Jim Ison relates that their investigation confirms the unidentified gunman was an adult and that he was “shot and killed by a lawfully armed 22-year-old man who observed the shooting in progress.”
Among the victims are “one male and four females, including a 12-year-old girl whose parents brought her to a hospital with minor injuries after the shooting.” The second injured victim “was hospitalized and in stable condition as of Sunday evening.”
“This has shaken us to our core,” Chief Ison insists. “This isn’t something that we have seen here in Greenwood before. It is absolutely horrendous and our thoughts and prayers are with those loved ones hurting tonight.”
He also explains that the Greenwood PD has trained for this sort of “mass shooting scenario.” They have practiced extensively with “multiple mall exercises” to prepare for active shooter situations. He doesn’t mind being upstaged by an armed amateur.
Despite the way he drilled his officers, he tells reporters “the real hero of the day is the citizen that was lawfully carrying a firearm in that food court and was able to stop this shooter almost as soon as he began.”
The New York Times notes that he wasn’t supposed to do that. Their data indicates it’s “rare to have an armed bystander attack an active shooter.” This was one of those unusual occasions thanks to a vigilant Second Amendment supporter.
A long-gun rifle
The suspect in the Greenwood mall shooting was apparently out to cause maximum mayhem. This wasn’t an argument where a handgun was pulled out. This armed attacker brought heavy artillery in the form of a rifle or other “long-gun” police relate. They aren’t saying what weapons were recovered.
Witness Olivia Harding was browsing through Old Navy when “she and her mom heard four gunshots.” She then heard six more and saw people running. She won’t be back to the mall anytime soon, she says.
Police got there after all the excitement was over but they brought in the SWAT teams to clear the mall and make sure there weren’t any bombs or other hazards hiding. Police remain clueless as to the shooter’s motive. They’re asking anyone who saw anything to give them a call.
Every law enforcement agency in the region was involved, including FBI, ATF, Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and Department of Homeland Security. They soon located and cleared a back pack without saying what was in it. If the vigilantly armed bystander hadn’t been so well prepared, the tragedy could have been much worse.
Greenwood Mayor Mark Meyers spelled it out for all the liberals in his jurisdiction that the armed citizen who shot the killer deserves the community’s thanks, not criticism.
“This person saved lives tonight. On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.” Even in places with well funded and properly trained police, they can’t be everywhere all the time. One prepared citizen made a huge difference.