Police Name Mall Gunman, Bystander Who Stopped Him

Jonathan Sapirman spent an hour in restroom before opening fire
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 18, 2022 3:15 PM CDT
Gunman, Hero Bystander in Mall Shooting Identified
The image provided on Monday, July 18, 2022 by the Greenwood Police Department shows Jonathan Douglas Sapirman, 20.   (AP Photo/Greenwood Police Department via AP)

Police have identified the man who opened fire at a mall food court in an Indianapolis suburb Sunday evening, killing three people before he was shot by an armed bystander, as 20-year-old Jonathan Sapirman, who lived around a mile from the Greenwood Park Mall. Authorities identified the man who shot Sapirman as 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken. Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers praised Dicken, who had been shopping at the mall with his girlfriend, for saving "countless lives," the Indianapolis Star reports. "Our city, our community, and our state is grateful for his heroism in this situation," the mayor said.

Police say Sapirman brought two high-powered rifles and more than 100 rounds of ammunition to the mall. They say he spent more than an hour in a restroom before he emerged and started shooting, firing 24 rounds before he was stopped by Dicken, the Washington Post reports. Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said during Monday's press conference that Dicken, who fired a total of 10 rounds from a 9mm pistol, stopped the gunman within two minutes. The chief said Sapirman was hit several times and collapsed to the ground as he tried to retreat back to the restroom, where he had left one of the rifles, reports WKKG.

The Johnson County coroner identified the three victims Monday as Victor Gomez, 30, and husband and wife Pedro Pineda, 56, and Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, 37, WRTV reports. Two people, including a 12-year-old girl, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. No motive for the shooting has been disclosed but Sapirman's relatives said he had recently received an eviction notice, reports the AP. (More mass shootings stories.)

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