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‘The Real Hero’: Good Guy with Gun Ends Mass Shooting in Indiana Mall


BY: JORDAN BOYD | JULY 18, 2022

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2022/07/18/the-real-hero-good-guy-with-gun-ends-mass-shooting-in-indiana-mall/

Greenwood, Indiana firetruck responds to shooting at mall

Less than three weeks after Indiana’s new constitutional carry law went into effect, an armed bystander shot and killed an assailant suspected of fatally shooting three people and injuring two others in an Indiana mall on Sunday evening.

Reports of a shooting in the Greenwood Park Mall began around 6 p.m. on Sunday when an unnamed gunman opened fire in the food court. After striking at least one male and four females including a 12-year-old girl, the suspected shooter was quickly shot and killed by a bystander who “observed the shooting in progress.”

As of Monday morning, police had not released the identity of the man who shot the gunman, but local news reports indicated he is 22 years old and from the nearby Bartholomew County.

“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,” Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison told reporters.

Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers also praised the “good Samaritan” for stopping “further bloodshed.”

“This person saved lives tonight,” Myers said in a statement. “On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.”

CNN tried to downplay the “good guy with a gun” by claiming that it is extremely rare for armed citizens to step in. Their article about the shooting dedicated four paragraphs to warning that, according to a New York Times data chart, “having more than one armed person at the scene who is not a member of law enforcement can create confusion and carry dire risks.”

Several local news outlets centered their coverage on the narrative that the man who took down the suspected assailant violated the mall’s no weapons policy.

“Armed ‘Good Samaritan’ stopped Indiana mall shooting, broke mall rules,” WANE 15 reported.

According to Fox 59 out of Indianapolis, the mall owner, Simon Property Group, “states in its code of conduct that no weapons are allowed at their shopping centers.” It isn’t until later in the article that Fox 59 noted, “While the property group has the ability to set policies against weapons, what the man did was not illegal.”

Meanwhile, Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts took a swipe at the good guy with a gun and the Second Amendment, and Kris Brown, president of the anti-gun Brady Campaign, smeared him as a “vigilante.”

Under pressure from a wave of primary challengers this spring who made constitutional carry a top critique of Republican incumbents, the GOP-controlled legislature and governor passed a new law earlier this year that no longer requires gun owners to obtain a permit to legally “carry, conceal or transport a handgun within the state.” The law took effect on July 1.

A Houston police sergeant is also being hailed as a hero after he tackled a man armed with a rifle, 120 rounds of ammunition, and a handgun in the Houston Galleria over the weekend.

Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and co-producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire and Fox News. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on Twitter @jordanboydtx.

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3 Kids School Shopping with Military Uncle After Mom Dies Blessed by Elderly Couple


Reported By Kayla Kunkel | August 7, 2018 at 4:02pm

It’s easy to get caught up in our day to day routines, forgetting that the people who surround us have their own stories and struggles.

But by doing this, we could be missing out on opportunities to lend a helping hand to someone in need. It only takes a second to be a little more observant, and the results could make a huge impact.

A story shared by an Alabama woman is the perfect example of why this is important.

Angela O’Neal Jacks was shopping at her local Dollar Tree in Gardendale, Alabama, on July 31, 2018, when she noticed a man shopping for school supplies with three children.

Dollar Tree

A Dollar Tree store is seen on July 28, 2014 in Miami, Florida. Dollar Tree announced it will buy Family Dollar Stores for about $8.5 billion in cash and stock. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

He was checking over a school supply list with the kids and was apologizing that they had to shop at a discount store to get some of the items, but the kids continued to be “cheerful and nothing but thankful.”

Angela decided to give a little friendly advice by telling the man that he could purchase better quality pencil boxes for the same price at a different store.

The stranger was thankful for the information and shared that the children had just lost their mother three weeks prior. He was their uncle and had taken the kids in when no one else stepped up to take care of them.

The military man had no idea just how expensive back-to-school items were going to be; he just knew he needed to take care of his late sister’s kids.

“(He) said they had needed complete wardrobes, backpacks, supplies etc. He was overwhelmed and also upset about the Dollar Tree, but was doing the best he could,” she wrote.

Angela was about to take his list and give him more money-saving tips when an elderly couple approached them.

They said, “Sir, we have overheard your conversation. We were wondering if you would put all of this back and meet us at Wal-mart? We’d like to purchase all of their supplies, clothes, shoes and backpacks.”

“We’d like to thank you for your service to our country and to these kids,” they continued.

The man and three kids were extremely grateful. Angela said there were “tears everywhere.”

In the middle of thank you’s and tears, one of the children piped up and said, “Can we get an MP3 player, too?”

Angela’s heart melted and she quickly responded, “You sure can, sweetheart.”

She told Liftable (a brand of Western Journal) that as a mother of four, she knew how disheartening it can be to not own something most other kids at school do. “They had just lost their mother. I wanted to bring a little joy,” she said.

Angela also wrote a Facebook post detailing the precious interaction hoping that it inspires others to take a second to notice those around them and be ready to lend a helping hand.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fangela.o.jacks%2Fposts%2F10217171291333259&width=500

Meeting this sacrificial man and learning more about his story served as a sweet reminder for her.

She told Liftable, “It reminds me that we never know what someone else is going through and that we should be ready to help those in need in whatever way we are able.”

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