Three people were killed at a shopping center in Greenwood, Ind., in a mass shooting that ended when another gunman shot and killed the gunman, city authorities said.
Two other people were hospitalized nearby, Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said. Authorities did not provide a motive for the shooting and did not identify the shooter except as an adult male.
“We witnessed a mass shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall tonight,” Mayor Mark Myers said. “Greenwood Police have the site under control. I am in direct contact with the command post and there is no further threat.”
He asked the public to stay away.
“This tragedy touches the core of our community,” said Mr Myers. “Please pray for the victims and our first responders.”
Ison said at a news conference on Sunday that the local emergency center began receiving calls about the food court shooting around 6 p.m. He said the shooting ended when an armed civilian stopped the gunman. “It appears that a Good Samaritan who was armed saw the shooting in full swing and shot the gunman.”
He added that investigators and other personnel would not process the crime scene at the mall until a state bombing could determine whether a “suspicious” backpack left in a mall bathroom was dangerous.
The police said: on Facebook that they were looking for witnesses to the shooting.
The Metropolitan Police Department of Indianapolis said on Twitter that it helped local authorities and urged people to avoid the area.
It said multiple agencies were in the process of evicting the mall, which is located about 15 miles south of Indianapolis.