The man who stopped a shooter at an Indiana shopping mall with a pistol is not being praised by everyone.
On Sunday, a shooter opened fire at Greenwood Park Mall killing three people.
Elisjsha (Elijah) Dicken pulled a gun on the shooter and killed him.
Photo of Elisjsha (Elijah) Dicken, the armed citizen, Good Samaritan who took out an active shooter at Greenwood Park Mall and is being called a hero by many. https://t.co/MwiBedQuLW pic.twitter.com/CLkv8vcaCu
— News Channel3 Now (@newschannel3now) July 19, 2022
Greenwood Police Chief James Ison explained, “His actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun, was very proficient in that, very tactically sound…he has no police training and no military background.”
Greenwood Police Chief on "Good Samaritan" who stopped mall shooting: "His actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun, was very proficient in that, very tactically sound…he has no police training and no military background." pic.twitter.com/jSYIeRevPB
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 18, 2022
Others were not so quick to praise Dicken.
Journalist David Leavitt tweeted, “It wasn’t a ‘Good Samaritan’ at Greenwood Park Mall. It was an armed vigilante.”
He added, “Republicans don’t understand the meaning of ‘Good Samaritan.'”
Republicans don’t understand the meaning of "Good Samaritan”
— David Leavitt 🎲🎮🧙♂️🌈 (@David_Leavitt) July 18, 2022
Leavitt argued that good guys “don’t carry guns. They carry first aid kits.”
Good guys don’t carry guns.
— David Leavitt 🎲🎮🧙♂️🌈 (@David_Leavitt) July 18, 2022
They carry first aid kits.
CBS4 traffic anchor Justin Kollar explained, “The term, ‘Good Samaritan’ came from a Bible passage of a man from Samaria who stopped on the side of the road to help a man who was injured and ignored.”
He continued, “I cannot believe we live in a world where the term can equally apply to someone *killing* someone… my God.”
https://twitter.com/kollarjustin/status/1548832235905863680
Still, others expressed appreciation for Dicken’s actions.
A spokesperson for the Greenwood Park Mall said in a statement, “We grieve for the victims of yesterday’s horrific tragedy.”
The statement continues, “Violence has no place in this or any other community. We are grateful for the strong response of the first responders, including the heroic actions of the Good Samaritan who stopped the suspect.”
Dickens’ attorney asked for privacy for him and his family, as NBC News reported.
“Because we want to respect the on-going criminal investigation by the Greenwood Police Department and take time to honor the three innocent lives lost, we won’t be making any substantive comments on Sunday’s events until after the authorities’ investigation is closed,” attorney Guy Relford said.
