Local gun expert: Armed bystander prevented more deaths in Indiana mall shooting
Three people are dead and two others hurt after police in Indiana said a gunman opened fire at a mall.
Police said a man helped prevent an even larger tragedy when he shot and killed the gunman at the Greenwood Park Mall.
>> Greenwood Park Mall shooting: 3 slain victims, shooter identified in Indiana
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell looked into the differences in Indiana and Ohio gun law that should keep the Good Samaritan out of trouble, and what may have helped him end the terror.
In this instance, another person at the mall that was legally carrying a gun ended the threat from the mass shooter.
Mark Avery is a local gun safety instructor who’s been in this line of work for decades and still practices all the time.
He believes that is what allows people, like the man that stopped the Indiana mall attack, to take the life-saving action he did.
“If you haven’t been trained and trained under stress, when the stress hits, you are very likely to freeze,” Avery said.
Avery said even law enforcement officers can freeze, which may have happened in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
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“People think they will rise to the occasion, what really happens is they fall back on their training,” Avery said.
Avery is a strong second amendment supporter but also strongly recommends anyone that decides to buy and carry a gun, learn and train, continuously.
“The purpose, really, is to be better prepared for a situation that you hope never happens,” Avery said.
When News Center 7 asked Avery about the difference in Ohio and Indiana gun laws, he said most malls have “no weapons allowed” signs at their entrances and in Ohio that could open someone up to a misdemeanor charge.
“In the state of Indiana they don’t have that provision,” Avery said.
Avery believes that is a good thing to stopping people like the one that walked in this mall.
“If they have evil intent , they will do what they came to do until they are satisfied or stopped,” Avery said.
Avery said he is sure the Good Samaritan is clear of potential legal trouble, of any kind, in Indiana.
