A walk inside the reopened Greenwood Park Mall after mass shooting
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The doors to Greenwood Park Mall reopened by 11 a.m. Tuesday, and I-Team 8 walked through the shopping center to get a feel for the mood of the people inside after Sunday’s mass shooting.
I-Team 8 found most stores open and ready for customers, a handful of stores were closed, and some employees were apprehensive.
Noelle Baker, as she drove near the mall on Tuesday afternoon, said, “It is still scary, but it is scary anywhere, so….”
The big-box retailers — Dick’s Sporting Goods, Von Maur and JCPenney — were open. Around a dozen of the smaller stores, particularly a few jewelry stores, showed no sign of opening Tuesday. One retailer that faces the food court was closed; another was open but the doors were partially closed.
The main entrance of the mall leads into a long hallway that intersects with others. At that intersection, shoppers could see the food court to the right. A pizza place, a Subway sandwich shop, Chick-fil-A restaurant and all of the others were open for business.
There were no signs that 34 bullets had been fired inside of the food court less than 48 hours earlier.
A bakery employee told I-Team 8 that its workers had been in the mall Sunday night. Just a few yards away from the counter, several people had been shot. The employee said the area looked significantly different on Sunday.
A husband, his wife and another man died, and Elisjsha Dicken, 22, fired his Glock handgun 10 times to take out the 20-year-old shooter before more people were hurt, the Greenwood police chief said Monday. The three Indianapolis residents who died were Pedro Pineda, 56; Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, 37; and Victor Gomez, 30.
The restroom where the 20-year-old shooter hid a backpack and stowed another rifle and ammo, and where he tried to dispose of his phone, was open.
Outside in the sunshine and heat, the parking lot was active with people making their way into the mall. Nancy Rowland, of Greenwood, said she was a little anxious coming in, but added, “You just can’t live your life in fear.”
The only obvious sign of the violence from Sunday night was a handful of flowers and stuffed animals placed outside of the food court entrance. Also, one of the employees in the mall said, the number of security people appears to have doubled.
- Family remembers husband, wife who died in Greenwood Park Mall shooting
- Latino leaders shine light on people who died in Greenwood Park Mall shooting
- Greenwood Park Mall shooting survivors retrieve belongings
- Counselor: How communities can emotionally recover after mass shootings
- Counselor: Mass shootings are ‘shattering’ to communities once believed safe
Mental health resources
- Be Well Indiana
- Indiana Suicide Prevention
- Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
- National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
- More resources