Four people, including the suspected shooter, have died and two others were injured in relation to a shooting at a mall in Indiana on Sunday (July 17).
Jim Ison, the police chief of Greenwood, Indiana, confirmed the deaths and injuries in the incident at Greenwood Park Mall during a press conference Sunday evening, NBC News reports.
Ison said one person remained hospitalized, while a 12-year-old girl was treated for abrasions before being released.
Four of the six people injured or killed during the mall shooting were female, according to Ison.
The suspected shooter was reported to have been fatally shot by an unidentified 22-year-old “good Samaritan” from Bartholomew County.
“The real hero of the day was the Samaritan that was lawfully carrying a firearm who was able to stop the shooter almost as soon as it began,” Ison said via NBC News.
Greenwood Mayor Mark W. Myers also credited the 22-year-old in a statement shared on his Facebook account Sunday evening.
“As of now, we do not know the shooter’s identity or motive. We do know that someone we are calling the ‘Good Samaritan’ was able to shoot the assailant and stop further bloodshed,” Myers said. “This person saved lives tonight. On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.”
Ison said the suspected shooting was believed to be premeditated but there was no indication that the shooter knew the victims beforehand.
“It appears that he had a rifle with several magazines of ammunition, entered the food court, and began shooting,” Ison said during the press conference.
The incident took place just after 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
“This type of situation is horrible,” Ison said. “It’s rocked us to our core.”
The suspected shooter’s motive and circumstances of the incident are still under investigation.
