One year ago today, on July 17, 2022, a mass shooter was stopped by an armed citizen at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana. This incident, which happened two months after the horrific massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, stood as a stark contrast that made the case for immediate, defensive intervention by armed citizens in lieu of waiting for law enforcement whose performance may be appalling.

Like a typical predator, the assailant chose the time and place of his attack, his weapons, and did extensive preparations including destroying his laptop and cellphone. He unfortunately managed to take the lives of three innocent human beings and would have taken many more lives, but what he was not prepared for was an armed defender who could fight back.

Within fifteen seconds, the armed citizen engaged the attacker with his Glock handgun from forty yards, scoring an incredible eight out of ten hits. The attacker was thus stopped. 

That quiet hero, Elisjsha Dicken, has avoided the media spotlight and gone about his life. In celebration of his act of heroism, here is a list of other mass shooters who have been stopped by armed citizens:

2014

Media, PA: Doctor ignores gun-free zone, stops mass shooter – A doctor shot a psychiatric patient and prevented a mass shooting.

2015

Chicago, IL: Uber driver stops a mass shooting – An Uber driver shot a man who began firing into a crowd of pedestrians. No other injuries were reported. Uber banned drivers from carrying guns after this act of heroism.  

Philadelphia, PA: Lawful concealed carrier stops a mass shooter at a barbershop – A man saved the lives of several people when he shot and killed a gunman inside the Falah Barber Shop.

2016

Townville, SC: School shooter taken down by an armed citizen – A volunteer firefighter armed with a handgun stopped a school shooting by restraining the attacker.

Spartanburg, SC: Concealed carrier stops a mass shooting at a nightclub – An armed citizen shot and wounded an attempted mass shooter at the Playoffz nightclub.

2017

Sutherland Springs, TX: Armed hero stops mass shooter – Stephen Willeford ran barefoot across the street to confront the attacker who took the lives of 26 innocents at the First Baptist Church.

Arlington, TX: Good Samaritan kills active shooter in Texas Sports Bar – An armed citizen shot and killed an active shooter at the Zona Caliente Sports Bar.

2018

San Diego, CA: Off-duty border patrol agent stops a mass shooter – When a white supremacist started shooting people at the Chabad of Poway, an armed off-duty border patrol agent stopped him.

Titusville, FL: Armed Florida citizen stops park shooting – An assailant who began shooting at a back-to-school backpack giveaway was shot by an armed citizen with no one else injured.

Oklahoma City, OK: Armed bystanders kill shooter at Oklahoma City restaurant – Two bystanders used their handguns to confront and fatally shoot an attacker at Louie’s Grill & Bar.

2019

White Settlement, TX: Churchgoer stops a mass shooter – Jack Wilson stopped a mass shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ within six seconds.

2021

Syracuse, NY: DA says armed citizen saved several lives in NY shooting – Perpetrator Demetrius Jackson fired a handgun into a crowd. Another man, who was on scene and in possession of a 9mm handgun returned fire striking and killing Jackson.

2022

Charleston, WV: West Virginia armed citizen stops mass shooting – A woman who was lawfully carrying a pistol shot and killed a man who began shooting at a crowd of people attending a graduation party. No injuries were reported from those at the party.

2023

Las Vegas, NV: Mass shooter stopped by an armed citizen in Las Vegas with zero casualties – A building employee at Turnberry Towers shot a gunman who walked in and fired shots at the front desk.

The above list doesn’t include incidents like Garland, TX because those involved law enforcement, not ordinary armed citizens. Here are several more mass shootings stopped by armed citizens:

• New Life Church 
• Plymouth, PA
• Clackamas Mall
• Parker Middle School
• Pearl High School
• Springfield Walmart

Note that a lot of the above incidents don’t receive even a fraction of the coverage from the disarmament agenda-driven media. Armed citizens play an important role in public safety. Self-defense is a fundamental human right. Without stories like these getting out to the world, this right will be chipped away one bit at a time by those who want us disarmed and servile.

It’s incumbent upon us to publicize these and spread the word. So, please pass this story along to your family and friends and remind them of what’s at stake. Also, please share the Heritage Foundation’s Defensive Gun Use Database.