As I’ve understood it, what you call the “shoot first” approach has been the accepted doctrine for police responses to mass shootings for about 20 years. Has there been an uptick in friendly fire? In officer deaths or injuries? In shooters escaping because no one secured the perimeter?
Even for rare events, 20 years should give us some data to look at. And, as far as I can tell, it still seems to be accepted that the key is to engage the shooter as fast as possible.
How many police were available to deal with the situation? Has that been reported in any stories? Google isn’t helping me.
I used to live in a small town in South Texas, pop. ~8,500, and the town employed SIX police officers.
What other law enforcement agencies sent members when it became apparent that there was an active shooter?
Did the shooter have prior knowledge that that door, which one would normally assume to be locked, was in fact unlocked?
What’s the likelihood of the Uvalde police facing civil lawsuits?
Perhaps he spent the ten minutes or so after arriving testing various doors until he found one that was unlocked?
[no ‘tone’ intended here] I took that hypothetical as far as I was willing to take it.
We need more information about what did and didn’t happen in this case.
That’s what training is for: they shouldn’t have to make a complex assessment, if the guidance is “go to the sound of gunfire.” What I’m reading is that the first 2-5 officers on the scene should have formed a team and gone in together.
Toward the sound of gunfire, because that’s where the children were being murdered, or where the shot children were bleeding out.
More on the response:
That’s definitely what I was wondering. Some schools have many doors to the outside–e.g., from each classroom. If it was a hot day, or if the AC was broken, or if there’d been a lot of COVID in the classroom that week, or if a kid had forgotten her book out on the playground and run out to grab it, or if any number of other things had happened, a door that should have been locked might have been open. It happens every day. If a gunman has the leisure to wander around the entire outside of a building, there’s a good chance he’ll find one door that he can get through.
Listening to live news conference from state police- The door in question was propped open by a teacher, so he didn’t have to try a bunch of doors. He just had to go straight to the open door.
Well, we could have a discussion on this topic. Before we start, are you willing to admit that “honor” and “courage” are important things? If not, we ought not to bother.
For those who missed the press conference … it was something to see. Texas Department of Public Safety says the incident commander during the shooting – Uvalde’s Police Chief – made the wrong call in presuming that what started as an active shooter had transitioned to a ‘barricaded’ situation, and failed to order rapid deployment.
I think this is the correct video (49min):
It was shocking in how forthcoming this officer was. You have to wonder if he’ll suffer repercussions for his candor.
But it was also amazing in that sense, and I suspect the media on the scene knew they had something unique there: a person willing to tell the truth and probably more than he should.
Wow. I’m not far in, but they’ve already said he fired over 100 rounds.
If you look at the Google sat view, you can see the ditch and funeral home. not really matching the poster display vs the layout of the school from Google…
And, Texans really do like their cowboy hats.
This timeline is looking incorrect.
He entered the school at 11:33.
11:35 - three Uvalde police entered the school. Went immediately to room and two received grazing wounds (classroom door was closed)
Shortly after, 4 more (well, one was a county sheriff) entered.
11:37 - 16 more shots.
12:03 - as many as 19 officers in the school hallway
12:15 - BORTAC arrives
12:50 - used janitor key to get in and kill shooter
A New York Times article describes the incident commander as the “chief of police of the school district”. Is that right? Is the school district large enough that it has a police force separate from the town police and the county sheriff?
I knew some officers who, based on their backgrounds, act as though nothing bothered them and in many cases I know this is true. But seeing deceased or injured kids can and should be an issue for all of us. You just have to learn to ignore these things until the mission is over.
That’s a yes:
[1pp PDF]
Thanks. BORTAC = Border Patrol Tactical Unit
12:15 - BORTAC arrives
12:50 - used key to get in
So, even the BORTAC was apparently there for 35 minutes before entering. Did it take 35 minutes to find the janitor that gave them the key?
Updated timeline above.
Thanks, my mistake. With so many shootings, it’s hard to keep track of things.
Thanks for posting this, that was a pretty open Q&A coming from a police official. I really like how he unambiguously told us who made the decision not to enter. Not to mention repeatedly telling us what the officers were trained to do and what they were supposed to do.
I assume the incident commander/chief of police is going resign fairly quickly, though I hope that won’t let him get out of providing whatever testimony is needed.