At a mall in Greenwood, Indiana, four people, including the gunman, were killed in a mass shooting on Sunday.
Speaking about the horrific shooting by the gunman, Mayor Mark Myers said, “We experienced a mass shooting this evening at the Greenwood Park Mall. The Greenwood Police Department is in control of the scene. I am in direct contact with the command post, and there is no further threat. This tragedy hits at the core of our community. Please offer your prayers to the victims and our first responders.”
The US officials reported that the city’s mayor said that the attack occurred at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood on Sunday before another armed individual fatally shot the assailant. Chief Jim Ison of the Greenwood Police Department said two people were injured in the incident. However, they did not indicate the motive for the shooting nor identify the gunman.
Speaking at a press conference, Chief Ison said, “It appears that a good Samaritan that was armed observed the shooting in progress and shot the shooter.”He added that investigators and other personnel would not process the crime scene at the mall until a state bomb squad could determine whether a “suspicious” backpack that was left in a mall bathroom was dangerous, The New York Times reported.
In a tweet, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said, “IMPD is assisting with an incident at the Greenwood Park Mall. Please avoid the area. Greenwood Police Department is the lead agency. Please avoid sharing misinformation on social media until they confirm details.”
This comes just weeks after a gunman opened fire on a July 4 parade in a moneyed Chicago suburb, killing seven people and injuring at least three dozen.
That shooting followed two massacres in May that witnessed 10 Black people gunned down at an upstate New York supermarket, and 19 children and two teachers killed at an elementary school in Texas.
The recent wave of gun violence has reignited the massive controversy over firearm regulation. A committee of the US House of Representatives is set to vote this week for the first time in nearly 20 years on a bill that would ban assault weapons.