Shooting at Indiana mall, China furthers lockdowns, Steve Bannon trial

Headlines for July 18, 2022:

Shooting at Indiana Mall – Three people were fatally shot and two were injured Sunday evening at an Indiana mall after a man with a rifle opened fire in a food court and an armed civilian shot and killed him, police said. The man entered the Greenwood Park Mall with a rifle and several magazines of ammunition and began firing in the food court, Greenwood Police Department Chief Jim Ison said.

A 22-year-old from nearby Bartholomew County who was legally carrying a firearm at the mall shot and killed the gunman, Ison said at a news conference. Four of those hit by gunfire were females and one was a male, Ison said. He didn’t immediately know the specific gender or age of those who were killed. He said a 12-year-old girl was among the two injured, both of whom are in stable condition. Police confiscated a suspicious backpack that was in a bathroom near the food court, Ison said. Officers went to the mall at about 6 p.m. for reports of the shooting.

China sees COVID-19 spike – Several large Chinese cities are stepping up COVID-19 testing and extending lockdowns for millions of people. This includes Shanghai which plans to roll out a mass testing operation this week. The efforts are meant to counter new clusters of COVID-19 infections leading to nearly 400 new cases a day over the last week.

Jury selection in Steve Bannon trial begins –  Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of Steve Bannon, a one-time adviser to former President Donald Trump who faces criminal contempt of Congress charges after refusing for months to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Bannon is charged in Washington’s federal court with defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee that sought his records and testimony. The trial follows a flurry of activity in the case since July 9. Over a week ago, the former White House strategist notified the committee that he is now willing to testify. His lawyer said the change was because Trump has waived his executive privilege claim from preventing the testimony.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.