- The armed bystander who fatally shot a gunman at an Indiana mall learned to shoot from grandpa, his lawyer said.
- Elisjsha Dicken took out the gunman who opened fired at Greenwood Park Mall and killed three people.
- Dicken is still processing what he went through, his attorney told Insider.
The hero armed bystander who fatally shot a gunman who opened fire at an Indiana mall over the weekend learned to shoot from his grandfather, his lawyer told Insider on Wednesday.
Authorities have said that 21-year-old Elisjsha Dicken, the Good Samaritan, has no police or military background, and his attorney, Guy Relford, told Insider that his grandfather taught him how to fire a gun.
Dicken — armed with a pistol — was shopping at the Greenwood Park Mall with his girlfriend on Sunday when a 20-year-old man with an AR-15-style rifle started shooting in a food court, killing three people and wounding two others.
The attacker was shot by Dicken within 15 seconds of the gunman firing and not within two minutes as authorities previously stated, police said on Tuesday, citing surveillance footage.
Dicken unloaded 10 rounds from his gun as he zoned in on the shooter and waved for fleeing shoppers to exit behind him, police said.
Autopsy results from the Johnson County Coroner's Office showed that the gunman was shot eight times, and none of the wounds were self-inflicted.
"His actions were nothing short of heroic," Greenwood Police Chief James Ison has said of Dicken, adding that Dicken "engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun."
"It was very proficient," as well as "very tactically sound," Ison said.
Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers has credited Dicken with "saving countless lives."
Relford, Dicken's attorney, told Insider that his client is still processing the chaotic situation and that he was "put in that position."
"It's a lot to process for a young man and for anyone, and he's working through that," Relford said.
Dicken has had a "tremendous outpouring of support" from around the world and country, said his attorney.
"That means a lot to him. He's very touched by that," Relford said.
However, the lawyer explained, "It's still a lot to process for someone who has had to go through this and be put in that position."
In a statement, Relford called Dicken "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."
Dicken legally had a license to carry a handgun, added Relford, as he said it is irrelevant considering that as of July 1, Indiana no longer required a handgun permit to legally carry or conceal.