Who is Elisjsha Dicken? 'Hero' Indiana mall shopper, 22, who shot gunman had no prior arms training
GREENWOOD, INDIANA: Authorities have identified the Indianapolis shopping mall gunman as Jonathan Sapirman, who shot five people, killing three of them, before being shot and killed by another shopper Elisjsha Dicken, 22. According to Greenwood police Chief James Ison, the 20-year-old Greenwood resident opened fire after leaving a restroom at the Greenwood Park Mall shortly before it closed Sunday, July 17 evening.
The Johnson County and Marion County coroners' offices identified the slain victims as a married Indianapolis couple — Pedro Pineda, 56, and Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, 37 — and Victor Gomez, 30, also of Indianapolis. A 22-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl were injured. Authorities initially stated that four of the victims were female and one was male, but they later corrected that to two males and three females, including a woman and a 12-year-old girl who were injured.
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Ison claimed in the news conference that after entering the mall, Sapirman went into a bathroom for about an hour before emerging and opening fire. Investigators believe Sapirman spent that time preparing and possibly assembling a disassembled rifle he had brought in his backpack. He managed to fire 24 rounds in two minutes.
Who is Elisjsha Dicken?
According to Ison, Sapirman continued shooting people until he was shot and killed by 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken of nearby Seymour, who was out shopping with his girlfriend. "Many more people would have died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen," said the chief, noting that authorities were still trying to determine a motive for the attack. Dicken drew his pistol and fatally shot the gunman. Ison stated that Dicken had engaged the gunman almost from the start of the attack.
Despite having no law enforcement or military training, Dicken demonstrated "proficient" and "sound" tactics in firing at "the gunman with a handgun from quite a distance," according to the police chief. Dicken also motioned for other shoppers to flee behind him "as he engaged and closed in on the suspect." He fired ten shots. Dicken, who was carrying a concealed pistol legally, was initially handcuffed and questioned by police before his version of events was confirmed by CCTV footage. "I will say his actions were nothing short of heroic," the police chief added.
POLICE CHIEF ON GREENWOOD PARK MALL ARMED CITIZEN
— NRA (@NRA) July 18, 2022
"He was carrying legally under Constitutional Carry law. His actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance. Was very proficient in that... He has no police training and no military background." pic.twitter.com/RsJ0VLYieR
As of July 1, Indiana law allows anyone 18 or older to carry a handgun in public, with the exception of those who are prohibited for reasons such as having a felony conviction, being subject to a restraining order, or having a dangerous mental illness as determined by a court. The Republican-controlled Indiana legislature kept provisions in the law that allow private property owners to prohibit firearms, NPR reported.
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The assault that occurred on Sunday, July 17 was the latest in a series of mass shootings in the United States. In recent months schools, churches, grocery stores, and a July Fourth parade near Chicago have all become killing grounds, though the country's staggering murder rate is often seen more clearly in individual killings that rarely make major headlines.