Summary Statement
On Sunday, July 17, 2022, a gunman attacked shopping mall patrons at Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana. Three people died and two were injured as a result of the shooting. The shooter was stopped after he was shot and killed by an armed citizen.
Attack Overview
According to authorities, mall surveillance video showed the gunman entering the mall from the food court around 5 p.m. Sunday and going directly to the restroom located in the food court. The gunman stayed in the restroom for approximately one hour before emerging holding a rifle. As the gunman left the bathroom, he began firing. Authorities have said the shooter fired 24 rounds during the shooting.
Gunman Stopped by Armed Bystander
At 5:57:03 p.m., Elisjsha Dicken, an armed bystander, fired on the gunman from 40 yards away. Within 15 seconds from when the shooting began, Dicken fired 10 rounds hitting the gunman as the gunman tried to retreat into the bathroom but collapsed and died. An autopsy found the gunman was shot eight times and none were self-inflicted.
Greenwood Police Chief James Ison praised the shooter saying, "He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun -- was very proficient in that, very tactically sound and as he moved to close in on the suspect he was also motioning for people to exit behind him. Many more people would have died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen that took action very quickly within the first two minutes of the shooting."
Suspect
Police identified the shooter as 20-year-old Jonathan Douglas Sapirman of Greenwood. Sapirman had three firearms and more than 100 rounds of ammunition when he entered the mall. According to Greenwood Police Chief James Ison, "the suspect had several minor juvenile offenses, like a fight at school and that he was a juvenile runaway, but no adult record."
Motive
The investigation into Sapirman's motive remains ongoing. A search warrant was executed at Sapirman's apartment where a damaged laptop was recovered. Additionally, a phone allegedly belonging to Sapirman was located submerged in a toilet located at the mall bathroom.
