Armed ‘Good Samaritan’ stopped Indiana mall shooting, broke mall rules

GREENWOOD, Ind. ( WXIN ) — While police are crediting an Indiana man with shooting and killing a suspect in the Greenwood Park Mall shooting Sunday, mall policy prohibited him from carrying at all.

Greenwood Police Chief James Ison confirmed Sunday that the shooter was shot and killed by a man visiting the mall, located in a suburb just south of Indianapolis. The Good Samaritan, as police called him, was armed with a handgun.

“The real hero of the day was the citizen that was lawfully carrying a firearm in the food court and was able to stop the shooter almost as soon as he began,” Ison said.

Police say the 22-year-old from Bartholomew County had a legal gun permit. However, according to mall policy, the man should not have been carrying his handgun in the mall in the first place.

The Simon Property Group, which owns the mall, states in its code of conduct that no weapons are allowed at their shopping centers. The policy was last updated in April 2020.

The property group has worked with Greenwood police for several planned security technology upgrades after recent incidents at the mall, including two in which employees were held at gunpoint in the parking lot. These upgrades include license plate readers installed at mall entrances.

Despite the man’s failure to follow the mall’s code of conduct, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said the man saved lives.

“Someone we are calling the ‘Good Samaritan’ was able to shoot the assailant and stop further bloodshed. This person saved lives tonight. On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.”

Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers

Three people were killed and two others were injured before the suspect was shot and killed.

A mall spokesperson issued a statement Monday morning. In part of the statement, they said they were grateful for the “heroic actions of the Good Samaritan who stopped the suspect.”

We grieve for the victims of yesterday’s horrific tragedy in Greenwood. Violence has no place in this or any other community. We are grateful for the strong response of the first responders, including the heroic actions of the Good Samaritan who stopped the suspect.

Greenwood Park Mall representative

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