A gunman killed three people in the food court of a mall outside Indianapolis on Sunday, before a man who frequented the mall shot and killed the assailant, Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said.
Two other people were injured in the incident, which took place in the early evening at Greenwood Park Mall, the Indianapolis Star reported.
“The real hero is the citizen who legally carried a firearm in that food court and was able to stop the shooter as soon as he started,” Ison told reporters. He described the armed passerby as a 22-year-old male.
The gunman was alone and was carrying a rifle and several clips of ammunition, according to the newspaper.
Police did not release the names of the victims, shooter or bystander. Shoppers and mall employees scattered to the sound of gunfire or went into hiding.
The attack comes amid widespread concerns about shootings in schools, workplaces and public areas across the US.
A series of gun massacres since May at a New York grocery store, a Texas elementary school and an Illinois Independence Day parade have renewed the heated debate in the US over gun regulations.
The US House Judiciary Committee will adopt proposed legislation this week that would ban certain assault weapons, the panel said on Friday. There is no forecast of approval in the Senate.
