Elisjsha Dicken has been recognized as the 2022 Citizen of the Year by the City of Greenwood for his bravery during the mass shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall on July 17, 2022. Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers selected Dicken for the honor, praising him for his quick thinking and heroic actions.
In his nomination letter, Myers recounted the events of the shooting and thanked Dicken for his selfless response. According to Myers, Dicken identified the shooter, took cover behind a pillar, drew his weapon, and fired at the shooter from 40 yards away. He was also waving innocent civilians to safety while eliminating the threat. The quick and selfless thinking of Dicken saved countless innocent lives that day.
Following the incident, Greenwood Police Chief Ison called Dicken’s actions “nothing short of heroic.” Despite having no police or military training, Dicken engaged the shooter from a distance with his handgun and demonstrated tactical soundness as he closed in on the suspect.
The City of Greenwood has expressed its gratitude and admiration for Dicken’s actions and named him Citizen of the Year in recognition of his heroism.
Following the details of the Greenwood Mall shooting and Elisjsha Dicken’s heroic actions, many instructors, social media infuences and shooters began practicing and filming themselves shooting what became known as the Dickens Drill, The Elisjsha Dicken Drill, or simply the Dicken Drill. While some of these drills were based on incomplete or incorrect details of the actual shooting, they did put a necessary focus on practicing long-range pistol shooting and drills for concealed carriers. The drills aimed to hone skills that could be critical in high-stress situations and emphasized the importance of being prepared to act quickly and decisively in emergency situations.
While the drills may not have replicated the incident precisely, they served as a valuable reminder that not all defensive gun use incidents are alike and that it’s crucial to be prepared for a variety of scenarios, rather than assuming that all situations will involve only three shots, fired in three seconds, at a distance of three yards.
