Coroner IDs 3 people killed in shooting at Greenwood Park Mall
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The Johnson County Coroner’s Office on Monday identified the three people who died as a result of Sunday’s shooting at Greenwood Park Mall.
The victims were identified as:
- Pedro Pineda, 56, Indianapolis
- Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, 37, Indianapolis
- Victor Gomez, 30, Indianapolis
The coroner’s office says Pedro Pineda and Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda were husband and wife.
Police identified the shooting suspect as 20-year-old Jonathan Sapirman, of Greenwood.
Sapirman was shot and killed by Elisjsha Dicken, a 22-year-old armed citizen from Seymour, Indiana.
Sapirman had a juvenile record and no criminal history as an adult, according to Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison.
“His past incidents include offenses as a juvenile such as a fight at school and being a juvenile runaway. He does not drive. We believe that he walked to the Greenwood Park Mall last night,” Ison said Monday.
Sapirman brought three guns with him to the mall: a Sig Sauer Model M400 5.56-caliber rifle, purchased in March; an M&P 5.56mm rifle, purchased in March 2021; and a Glock 33 pistol. He also had more than 100 rounds of ammunition, according to Ison.
The gun used in the shooting was the Sig Sauer rifle, Ison says.
“We know that Mr. Sapirman entered the mall at 4:54 p.m. He walks directly to the food court restroom. One hour and two minutes later, he exits the restroom and shoots Victor Gomez outside the restroom,” Ison said. “He then points his weapon into the food court where Pedro Pineda Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda and were eating dinner and shot them both.”
Ison continued: “Sapirman then fired several more rounds into the food court, striking a 22-year-old female. A bullet fragment, believed to have ricocheted, hit a 12-year-old female who was running for the exit in the back.”
Just before 6 p.m., Sapriman was confronted by Dicken. Dicken fired several rounds, hitting Sapirman, who fell to the ground after being shot.
“Many more people would have died last night … if not for our Good Samaritan that took action within the first two minutes of the shooting,” Ison said.
Investigators “have no motive,” according to Ison, and are still investigating with help from the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and local law enforcement agencies.
Greenwood Park Mall was closed Monday, according to mall owner Simon Properties. The mall was expected to reopen Tuesday.
15-year-old who saw mall shooting: ‘Chaos everywhere’
Draven Sanders, 15, on Sunday was sitting with his friends at Greenwood Park Mall, just hanging out and doing what teenagers do on a Sunday afternoon, when his life was changed forever.
“I have never been so scared in my life. When I got out I made sure that all of my friends were with me and they were OK,” Sanders said on reflection as he talked with News 8 on Monday.
The sophomore at Mooresville High School described what he saw as “chaos everywhere, like a bunch of shots fired and a bunch of running.”
Sanders and his friends started running, and he hid behind a concrete pillar in the food court that he believes shielded him from bullets. As the shooting stopped, Sanders saw one injured person just a few feet away.
“She was running and her friends were trying to pull her …. Well, the one girl I saw was hit in the neck,” Sanders said.
A few minutes later, he was outside the mall and called his dad, Justin Sanders.
Justin told News 8 about trying to reach his son: “Call me ASAP. It is an emergency. Please answer. Please call. And, I call him and as soon as he answered, just the sound of his voice, it went right through me.”
Draven and his friends later went to the Greenwood Police Department to give statements. As the adrenaline wore off, the events of the day — the shooting and the sound — crept into his thoughts. “I don’t know. I just feel like I can’t do anything now, like I’m scared to do anything,” Draven said.
The Mooresville Schools district has offered counseling to Draven and other students who were in the mall Sunday.
Draven’s dad, Justin, is a combat veteran who knows the road moving forward for his son will be tough. Justin said, “The first thing that hit me was, man, I wasn’t there to protect him. I don’t think he will go anywhere without me for a while. We will do some fishing and find coping skills.”
Draven has a long road in front of him. He’s one of six children, and the family is very close. But, he told News 8, with school starting a few weeks, it’s going to be tough to be in public spaces.
- Counselor: Mass shootings are ‘shattering’ to communities once believed safe
- Indy church plans vigil for Greenwood shooting
Statement
“Today the heroic good Samaritan of the Greenwood mall shooting, Elisjsha Dicken, retained the Law Office of Guy Relford. In response to multiple media inquiries, we are releasing the following statement: I am proud to serve as Eli Dickens’ 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 on-going 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.”
Statement issued on Facebook from Guy A. Relford, The Law Office of Guy A. Relford
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
