Around 6 p.m. local time, multiple people called 911 to report an active shooter at the Greenwood Park Mall, Greenwood Police Department Chief Jim Ison told reporters. Investigators believe the unidentified gunman, an adult male, was shot to death by an armed “good Samaritan” who “observed the ongoing shooting,” Ison said.
Olivia Harding said she was at Old Navy in the mall when she and her mother heard four gunshots and thought the nearby carousel was breaking down.
“The next thing you know, you hear six more gunshots and you see everyone running,” Harding told CNN affiliate WISH. Harding said she doesn’t think she’ll be back in a mall “for a long time.”
The gunman appears to have used a long gun rifle, according to Ison, although police had not recovered any weapons from the scene at the time he spoke to reporters, he said. Tactical teams are clearing the mall and investigators will examine the scene once the process is complete, Ison said. Police are still investigating what led to the mass shooting and questioning people who were inside the mall at the time of the attack, police said. They are asking all witnesses to contact authorities and have requested that the public stay away from the mall at this time.
“This tragedy strikes at the core of our community,” Greenwood Mayor Mark Meyers said in a Facebook post. “Please offer your prayers to the victims and to our first responders.” Multiple agencies responded to the scene and are assisting with the incident, including the FBI, ATF, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Homeland Security, Ison said.