Last weekend, a law-abiding Samaritan with a gun quickly ended a mass shooting in progress at an Indiana mall as soon as the gunman opened fire. While it is against the Simon Property Group’s code of conduct for anyone to carry a weapon inside its shopping centers, local leadership was thankful 22-year-old Elijha Dicken was “very proficient” with a pistol.
“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.
Had no one been there and able to stop the shooter, what was a horrific event despite being stopped could have been worse.
Unfortunately, liberal news networks like CNN downplayed Dicken’s heroic actions, claiming it’s “rare” for armed citizens to rise to the occasion in the absence of police. CNN’s article about the incident even focused on the 22-year-old’s gun violation, instead of condemning the suspect for terrorizing the mall and killing three people.
As the left-wing media vilifies the hero for stepping up and protecting his community, we look back at the heroic tales of good Samaritans taking down would-be mass shooters over the years.
1. 006 Media Madhouse Hold-Up — Elkhart, IN
First off, we start at the earliest hero we could recall. Back in 2006, both staff and customers at Media Madhouse, a DVD store, in Elkhart, Indiana, were saved by an armed employee from a robber who entered the establishment.
The incident occurred when the armed robber entered the business and held up a store clerk at gunpoint, demanding money. That’s when an employee quickly retrieved a gun from behind the counter and shot the suspect right in the chest.
2. 2007 New Life Church Shooting — Colorado Springs, CO
Ex-veteran cop and volunteer security worker Jeanne Assam saved the day 15 years ago at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs when a 24-year-old shooter, Matthew John Murray, opened fire on thousands of parishioners exiting Sunday Mass.
Assam ran toward the line of fire, striking the perpetrator in the femoral and carotid arteries using her Beretta .9mm handgun. The guard’s hands “didn’t even shake” when she faced off with Murray at the midday service.
3. 2012 Palms Internet Cafe Armed Robbery — Ocala, FL
A legendary gun-toting grandpa foiled an attempted armed robbery in 2012 after shooting two robbers at the crowded Palms Internet Cafe in Ocala. 71-year-old Samuel Williams was casually seated when he pulled out a .380-caliber handgun on the pair of 19-year-olds that stormed the shop demanding money from the 30 or so inside.
Williams then shot the masked teenagers, forcing them to flee the stick-up scene. The delinquent, identified as Davis Dawkins and Duwayne Henderson, were both eventually captured but had to make a pit stop at the hospital before heading to jail.
4. 2016 Playoffz Nightclub Shooting — Lyman, SC
Remember that nightclub shooting at #Playoffz in Lyman? Here's the latest: https://t.co/UFHbcYL2LG pic.twitter.com/ia4gn5bgJ8
— Daniel J. Gross (@DanieljGross) December 12, 2016
32-year-old gunman Jody Ray Thompson started shooting at the Playoffz nightclub in Lyman, South Carolina, killing three people. But before Thompson could shoot a fourth victim, a concealed carry permit holder shot and wounded him in the leg. Local officials credited the man for preventing further violence and Thompson was arrested on four counts of attempted murder.
5. 2018 Peace In The City Scare — Titusville, FL
Violence in Titusville shooting it took place at a rally for kids to promote piece giveaway backpacks and school supplies https://t.co/k4twar4DaZ pic.twitter.com/dpO83677jE
— Auto Junker Titusville (@AutoJunker) August 5, 2018
Two years ago, a shooting terrorized community members at a back-to-school event in Titusville, Florida, but a gun holder was quick to neutralize the attacker.
The incident began when two men fought over a basketball game while students were retrieving free school supplies and backpacks. One of them then started firing at the event until the unidentified hero bystander shot the gunman.
6. 2019 West Freeway Church of Christ — White Settlement, TX
UPDATE: The heroic church member who shot down a gunman Sunday at West Freeway Church of Christ is running for county commissioner in Hood County, reports @BudKennedy. Jack Wilson runs a firearms training facility in Granbury, Texas. pic.twitter.com/TxImQgHqIT
— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) December 30, 2019
71-year-old concealed handgun permit holder Jack Wilson took out 43-year-old “religious fanatic” Keith Thomas Kinnunen in 2019 after Kinnunen killed a deacon and a parishioner during a Sunday service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. Luckily, Wilson ran a firearm training facility in the area and prevented the incident from getting worse.
7. 2020 Brownsburg Cemetery Homicide — Brownsburg, IN
In 2020, 22-year-old Joshua Christopher Hayes shot two men working in an Indiana cemetery. Unfortunately for him, he passed a motorist who had a permitted concealed handgun exited his car, and returned fire.
Brownsburg Police Department Captain Jennifer Barrett praised the Samaritan for stopping the violence.
8. 2021 Lodi Street Shooting — Syracuse, NY
Just last year, property manager Richard Morose, 39, saved the lives of several individuals after he used a legally possessed .9mm handgun on 28-year-old Demetris Jackson, who opened fire on a crowd outside a building on the 1800 block of Lodi Street in Syracuse, New York.
According to officials, Jackson was threatening multiple people at the location before getting shot in the head by Morose. Police and emergency crews arrived to see about 50 onlookers gathered.
9. 2021 Three Corners Apartments Killing — Fort Smith, AR
Also in 2021, 87-year-old Lois Hicks was killed in cold blood inside her Fort Smith, Arkansas, apartment by Zachary Arnold, 26. The shooter then started firing his semiautomatic weapon at occupants in neighboring suites at Three Corners Apartments.
That’s when Wallace A. West, described as a 58-year-old off-duty Homeland Security employee, woke to the sound of gunshots and gunned down Arnold with a bolt action rifle.
10. May 25 Vista View Apartments Attack — Charleston, WV
SHOOTING – First responders tell me one person was shot here at Renaissance Circle.
— Danielle Dindak (@danielledindak) May 26, 2022
The person was taken to the hospital. Their condition is unknown.
I'm working to find out if anyone is in custody.
MORE DETAILS TO COME @wchs8fox11 pic.twitter.com/nB7D7sdgRd
And most recently, a crazed gunman launched an all-out assault on a crowd celebrating birthday graduation festivities near the Vista View Apartments complex until a woman packing heat interrupted the spontaneous attack in a fight-or-flight moment and killed the shooter, identified as 37-year-old Dennis Butler.
