The quick actions of a legally-armed private citizen saved countless lives Sunday at a crowded Indiana shopping mall, and that courageous young man is being hailed as a hero.
Meet 22-year-old Elisjsha (Eli) Dicken, of Seymour, Indiana. The 22-year-old’s quick actions took down the mall shooter with lethal force.
While Eli has not yet spoken with the media about the shooting as of yet, his lawyer Guy A. Relford released a statement on Monday that said Eli is waiting to speak about the shooting to respect the lives lost and the police’s investigation.
“I am proud to serve as Eli Dicken’s attorney and spokesperson. He is a true American hero who saved countless lives during a horrific event that could have been so much worse if not for Eli’s courage, preparedness and willingness to protect others. Because we want to respect the ongoing criminal investigation by the Greenwood Police Department and take time to honor the three innocent lives lost, we won’t be making any substantive comments on Sunday’s events until after the authorities’ investigation is closed. In the interim, we ask that you respect the privacy of Eli and his family.”
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) released a statement hailing Eli as hero.
“While the gun prohibition lobby is remaining essentially silent,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “we are glad to see the mayor and police chief of Greenwood, Indiana crediting the armed citizen for stopping what could have been a slaughter. Even the Greenwood Park Mall has posted a statement on its website expressing gratitude to the first responders, including what it calls the ‘heroic actions of the Good Samaritan who stopped the suspect.”
“It wasn’t the first time a good guy with a gun has stopped a bad guy,” he continued. “Last year, the FBI noted six incidents in which armed citizens intervened in mass shootings, including four where the perpetrator was killed. The gun ban lobby has long justified its push for disarming private citizens by arguing that if gun control saves just one life, it’s worthwhile. But how many lives were saved Sunday because a responsible young man was armed? All we hear from gun grabbers right now are crickets.”
Indiana is one of 25 states where citizens don’t even need a permit to carry, Gottlieb noted. At last check, more than 1.1 million Hoosiers were licensed to carry.
“Sadly,” Gottlieb acknowledged, “three innocent people were murdered and two others were wounded, but how many more might have lost their lives had it not been for the quick reaction of a heroic armed citizen?
“Law-abiding Americans don’t carry guns to harm anyone,” he observed. “We carry guns to defend ourselves and others from criminals and crazy people in sudden emergencies as we witnessed Sunday in Indiana. In such cases, armed citizens become the first responders, and their actions underscore the continuing importance of the Second Amendment.
“We’re saddened by the loss of innocent lives,” Gottlieb concluded, “but we’re glad there was an armed citizen on the scene to prevent the tragedy from being worse. Keep in perspective that restrictive gun laws didn’t stop the killer. An armed citizen did that because the law, and the Constitution protect his right to keep and bear arms.”
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