Elisjsha Dicken – A True American Hero
By: TJVNews.com
In the annals of history, we often read of those individuals who chose to stand out from the rest for their selfless and heroic deeds on behalf of others. As the old expression goes. “There are heroes, and there are HEROES!”
In the case of the bystander who courageously intervened this past Sunday in the active shooter situation that left three people dead and two people wounded at the food court in a Greenwood, Indiana shopping mall, this person falls within the ranks of a true American hero in ALL CAPS!.
When the gunman, 20-year old Douglas Sapirman fired 24 rounds from an AR-15 Style rifle, bystander Elisjsha Dicken, 22, of Seymour, Indiana did not hesitate to use the Glock handgun he was legally carrying, according to a CNN report. As a result of his actions, Sapirman was “neutralized” within two minutes, police said.
In a tweet on Sunday night, Rep. Jim Banks, a Republican who represents Fort Wayne and the northeast parts of Indiana said. “I’m grateful a good guy with a gun was there to prevent further casualties and am praying for the families who lost loved ones in this senseless tragedy.”
CNN reported that at a Monday news conference, Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said, “Many more people would have died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen that took action very quickly within the first two minutes of the shooting.”
As Sapirman began shooting from a restroom area into the mall’s food court, Dicken returned fire “from quite a distance with a handgun — was very proficient in that, very tactically sound,” Ison said, according to the CNN report. As he moved in on the gunman, Dicken motioned for people to leave behind him, the chief said.
Ison also said that ss far as investigators know, Dicken “has no police training and no military training.” According to WTHR, Dicken’s grandfather taught him how to shoot, as was reported by CNN.
Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said, “This young man, Greenwood’s good Samaritan, acted within seconds, stopping the shooter and saving countless lives. Our city, our community and our state is grateful for his heroism in this situation,” as was reported by CNN.
Ison also said at the press conference that following the shooting, Dicken “approached mall security and told them that he was the one that neutralized the shooter.” He then waited for police to arrive.
CNN reported that police then took Dicken to the station, where detectives interviewed him. His statements correlated with video from the scene, the chief said.
“He’s a young man processing a lot,” Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said. “I ask that you give him space and time to be able to process what he’s gone through.”
The Indy Star reported the timeline of the events of the mall shooting. Ison said that at 5:56 p.m on Sunday, Sapirman exited a mall bathroom and, using a rifle, began firing at people in the food court.
Dicken had been shopping at the mall with his girlfriend, Ison added.
The Indy Star reported that within two minutes of the gunman opening fire, Dicken drew his handgun and began firing at Sapirman. The gunman attempted to retreat back to the bathroom but collapsed to the ground.
The threat was over. All told, the gunman fired 24 rounds, Ison said. Dicken fired 10.
CNN affiliate station WTHR reported that the grandmother of Shay Goldman, Dicken’s 19-year-old girlfriend, said her granddaughter’s life was one of those spared through Dicken’s brave actions.
WTHR reported that when speaking to her grandmother about the shooting, Shay said, “‘Eli pushed me out of the way and told me to get down and stay down.”
The grandmother who did not supply her name to the affiliate said of Dicken, “Everybody should be proud of him for what he’s done because if not, there would have been a lot more.”
CNN reported that in a live Facebook post, Alison Dick, whose 12-year-old daughter was wounded during the mall shooting, said of Dicken, “He’s a superhero.”
Among state gun laws, Indiana’s contains some of the strongest language to enable people like Dicken to intervene in situations like the one in Greenwood, according to the Indy Star report.
Making Dicken’s heroism perhaps even more remarkable is the fact cases of an armed bystander attacking an active shooter are rare, according to data from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training at Texas State University, as was reported by CNN.
There were at least 434 active shooter attacks in the US from 2000 to 2021, according to ALERRT data. Active shooter attacks were defined as those in which one or more shooters killed or attempted to kill multiple unrelated people in a populated place.
CNN reported that of those 434 active shooter cases, an armed bystander shot the attacker in 22 of the incidents. In 10 of those, the “good guy” was a security guard or an off-duty police officer, ALERRT data showed.
The bottom line here is that all concerned citizens should be afforded the right to intervene in situations in which human lives are being mowed down by unhinged assailants. In Dicken’s case, he happened to live in a state in which legal carry permits on firearms and the right to use them are in favor of law-biding citizens.
In states such as New York and others, radical reform of gun laws are in order. Good samaritans and others who are on the right side of the law should be able to help save the lives of others without the threat of punishment looming over their heads.
