INDIANAPOLIS – Authorities are expected to release more information Monday afternoon after a deadly shooting over the weekend at Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana.
A shooter opened fire in the food court Sunday just before the mall’s 6 p.m. closing time, police said. The gunman was killed by a 22-year-old mall patron legally carrying a gun, according to authorities.
Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said the man was able to stop the shooter not long after he opened fire. Two other victims were being treated at a hospital as of Sunday night, Ison said.
Authorities received the first emergency calls at 6:05 p.m. from the mall located in in the 60,000-population city of Greenwood, which is 14 miles south of Indianapolis.
Here’s what we know about the Greenwood Park Mall shooting:
Who were the Greenwood Park Mall shooting victims?
There were five victims, including the three people the gunman killed and two that were injured, Ison said. The youngest victim was a 12-year-old girl who suffered a minor wound.
Ison said she went home with her parents after the incident and later told them about a “scratch” on her back. They called police and the girl was taken to a local hospital, but is expected to be “just fine,” he said.
The other victims ranged in age from early 20s to 30, he said. The Johnson County Coroner’s Office said early Monday one woman and three men, including the shooter, were fatally shot.
The woman and one of the male victims were pronounced dead at separate hospitals. Two men died at Greenwood Mall, according to authorities.
What type of weapon did the Greenwood Park Mall shooter use?
Police said the shooter was armed with a rifle and several magazines of ammunition. The weapon type was not described beyond being a long gun.
ARMED CIVILIAN KILLED GUNMAN:3 dead, 2 injured after shooting at Indiana mall, authorities say
The Indiana State Police Department and a bomb squad investigated a backpack that was left inside a bathroom outside the food court. It was later cleared, and Ison said no explosive devices were found.
Authorities have not announced a motive.
What did shooting witnesses see?
James Arthur was in the mall with his wife and four children when he said he heard what sounded like 20 rounds go off. He said the shots were fired rapidly and it “sounded like a big gun.”
He said they thought it was a joke until people started running. The family was separated in the chaos as people fled, and Arthur said one of his children saw a body on the ground.
A SCATHING REPORT:Uvalde school shooting report finds ‘systemic failures’ in law enforcement response
Chris Roy, assistant manager of the mall’s Van’s shoe store, was working Sunday when he saw people running through the hallway, away from the food court just before closing.
“I jumped over the counter, locked the door, gathered my associates and other managers at the back door,” said Roy, 30.
They hadn’t heard gunshots, but Roy said they saw enough people running to not ask questions. Through the back door they huddled in an interior hallway with about 40 or 50 others, Roy said. After 10 or 15 minutes, police cleared them from the hallway and escorted them out of the mall, he said.
EMS services delayed in response to Beech Grove shooting
Emergency medical services were significantly delayed in getting to a shooting at a Beech Grove, Indiana, park Sunday night because of the Greenwood Park Mall shooting, said Tom Hurrle, deputy chief of the Beech Grove Police Department.
One person died and three others were injured in the shooting, which happened as a group of people gathered for a vigil, Mayor Dennis Buckley said.
A civilian was getting ready to transport the people who were shot to the hospital when Indianapolis EMS arrived 15 to 20 minutes after the shooting was reported, Hurrle said.
Contributing: Phyllis Cha, The Indianapolis Star