gunman
n.a person who uses a gun to commit a crime or attack people. This word is often used in news reports about shootings.
n.a person who uses a firearm to commit a crime or carry out an attack. Often used in journalistic contexts to describe an unidentified assailant.
“The gunman escaped before the police arrived.”
“Witnesses described the gunman as wearing a dark jacket and a mask during the robbery.”
“Security footage provided investigators with a clearer timeline of the events, though the gunman's identity remained obscured by the low light and heavy rain.”
Typically used in singular or plural form to refer to criminals or attackers rather than soldiers or police officers.
From gun + -man.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.