Emergency personnel gather after a shooting at Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana, US, July 17, 2022. (Kelly Wilkinson/USA Today Network via REUTERS)

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 of the day is the citizen that was lawfully carrying a firearm in that food court and was able to stop the shooter almost as soon as he began,” Ison told reporters. He described the armed bystander as a 22-year-old man.

The shooter was alone and had a rifle and several magazines of ammunition, according to the newspaper. 

The shootings occurred amid widespread concerns over the drumbeat of US shootings in schools, workplaces and public areas that regularly make headlines. 

A spate of gun massacres since May at a New York grocery store, a Texas elementary school and an Illinois Independence Day parade have renewed fierce US debate over gun regulations.