STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
America's latest mass shooting came in my home state. A man fired a rifle in a food court at the Greenwood Park Mall outside of Indianapolis. Lee Gaines of WFYI is on the line. Good morning.
LEE GAINES, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What happened?
GAINES: So a lone gunman carrying a long gun opened fire in a food court inside the Greenwood Park Mall yesterday evening around 6 p.m. Greenwood Police Chief James Ison told reporters last night that three people were killed by the gunman. He said the three people killed ranged in age from their early 20s up to 30 years old. Two other people were injured, among them a 12-year-old girl. Ison said that the girl had a minor injury to her back. She actually went home after the shooting and then told her parents about her injury. She was then taken to the hospital. And Ison expects she will be fine. He said the other injured person is also in stable condition.
INSKEEP: OK. So three people killed, two injured. And then how was the gunman stopped?
GAINES: He was stopped by an armed bystander. And Chief Ison described this bystander as a good Samaritan and a hero. He said he was a 22-year-old man from a nearby county and that he stopped the shooting shortly after it started. He did kill the gunman. And this man's name was not shared with the media.
INSKEEP: Was he legally carrying that firearm into the mall?
GAINES: Yes. Chief Ison said he was legally carrying his firearm. I think it's also worth noting that Indiana lawmakers recently repealed a requirement for a permit to carry a handgun. The repeal took effect at the beginning of this month, meaning that now, most Indiana residents over 18 who don't have any prior felony convictions don't need a permit to walk around Indiana carrying a handgun. That means they don't go through any additional background checks over and above what was needed to purchase the gun in the first place. So Republican lawmakers pushed this through at the state legislature. And it was actually opposed by the state police superintendent and multiple law enforcement groups here.
INSKEEP: So this happened in Greenwood, Ind. For those who don't know, what kind of a community is it? And how are people responding?
GAINES: This is a south suburb of Indianapolis. There's about 60,000 people who live in this town. I would say the community is hurting, as you would expect. And, you know, no one expects something like this to happen in their town, or maybe now more people do. But the mall is a place where locals shop and also work. As I mentioned, you know, the ages of the people that were injured in the shooting, they tended to skew younger. So it was a place where young people spent time. And Chief Ison was visibly upset by this shooting.
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JAMES ISON: This has shaken us to our core. This isn't something that we have seen here in Greenwood before. It is absolutely horrendous. And our thoughts and prayers are with those loved ones hurting tonight.
GAINES: And all we know about this gunman is that he's a man. And his identity hasn't been released yet. We also have no idea what a possible motive might have been here.
INSKEEP: Well, we'll continue to listen for your reporting. Lee, thanks so much.
GAINES: Thank you.
INSKEEP: Lee Gaines of WFYI in Indianapolis. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.