|
|
Post by Admin on Aug 4, 2019 0:22:48 GMT
Breaking: Shooting In El Paso, TX. What We Know So Far
 It’s never a good day when we have to talk about yet another mass shooting. However, that’s where we’re at today.
Earlier today, there was a mass shooting at a mall in El Paso, Texas.
Multiple people were killed and one person was in custody after a shooter went on a rampage Saturday at a shopping mall, police in the Texas border town of El Paso said. Police responded in the early afternoon to an active shooter scene at the Cielo Vista Mall, and were advising people to stay away from the area.
Sgt. Enrique Carrillo, a police spokesman, said a male suspect was in custody and there was no longer danger to the public. Earlier, El Paso police tweeted that they had received reports of “multiple shooters” but police later said they did not believe there was more than one gunman.
University of Medical Center of El Paso told CBS News it had also received 11 shooting victims, including one who died. They said a 4-month-old child was among the patients it was treating. Hospital spokesman Ryan Mielke said all of the victims suffered traumatic injuries in Saturday’s attack. He declined to provide additional details about the victims, including the one who died. Mielke said two children, ages 2 and 9, were stabilized at the medical center before being transferred to the neighboring El Paso Children’s Hospital.
If you’re in the area and can medically give blood, I want to urge you to do so. It sounds like there are a lot of injured, at least 22 from the news reports though that number may actually be higher before it’s all over.
As per usual–and I hate that we have a usual after something like this–be advised that all information given out now is subject to change. Things are very confused right now and while officials are giving the best information they know, so much of what they are told turns out to be wrong.
We’ll clearly have a lot to talk about on this subject over the next few weeks.
Del Sol Medical Center told CBS News it was treating 11 patients from the shooting. It said nine were in critical but stable condition, and two were stable. The patients ranged in age from 35 to 82.
Right now, the whole situation is very fluid. We’re only hearing, right now, that multiple people are dead but no word regarding just how many. The one hospital says they have one dead, but that doesn’t account for any declared dead at the scene.
In fact, right now, we don’t know much of anything about anything, unfortunately, when it comes to what took place within the mall itself.
We do know that the governor and president have both been notified.
CNN, in their up-to-date coverage, has comments from several presidential candidates. It seems that of the bunch to speak so far, only Tim Ryan had the decency to not try and make this all about politics and call for gun control. Never let them miss an opportunity to capitalize on a tragedy to advance their political positions.
The El Paso Police Department has put out a call for blood on their Twitter account.
|
|
|
|
Post by bazooka on Aug 4, 2019 1:56:36 GMT
Mass shooting in El Paso Walmart. As we have said, over and over and over again, when SECONDS count, police are just minutes away. A shopper, or two, or six, who were armed, trained in cover/concealment, and willing to step into the breach, could have ended this as soon as it began.
Sure, you won't always have an armed citizen at the right place and right time, BUT... The more armed and trained citizens we have, the better the odds. Personal responsibility for one's own safety and the safety of those around you. That's what a free people do, take responsibility and act when necessary |
|
|
|
Post by oldhippy on Aug 4, 2019 2:39:28 GMT
VIDEO: Army Pfc. Glendon Oakley saves children lives after mass shooting at the El Paso Walmart
(CNN)
At first, Army Pfc. Glendon Oakley Jr. was completely unaware of the chaos unfolding just around the corner. Then he pulled his gun.
A 22-year-old Army automated logistics specialist assigned to the 504th Composite Supply Company, 142nd Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas, Oakley had been shopping at a sporting goods store inside the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso when a young child burst into the store shouting about an active shooter at the nearby Walmart.
"The guy at the register and I sort of looked at each other," Oakley told Task & Purpose in a phone interview on Saturday. "He's a little kid ... are you going to believe him?"
The threat was very real. At least 20 people were killed and dozens more wounded when a gunman opened fire at the Walmart, sending terrified bystanders fleeing through the neighboring mall.
When Oakley exited the store minutes later and headed to the neighboring Footlocker, he finally heard the sound of gunfire echoing across the mall. He immediately pulled his Glock 9mm he often touts under Texas's concealed carry laws. While he had just returned from an incident-free deployment to Kuwait, this was not his first firefight.
"That's what you do," he told Task & Purpose. "You pull your gun, you find cover, and you figure out what to do next."
Oakley was born into a military family. His father, Glendon Oakley Sr., served for 31 years before retiring in 2011 at the rank of sergeant major; his mother, Wendolyn D. Oakley, retired as a master sergeant in 2001 after two decades; and his older sister, Glenda Oakley, is a retired first lieutenant.
But Oakley didn't take a direct path to the Army. Growing up in Killeen, Texas while his father was stationed at Fort Hood, he described his formative childhood years as "a little rough."
"I went to jail a few times, for weed charges, for fighting, just getting caught up in the wrong stuff," he told Task & Purpose. "I've been in pointless shootouts at a young age ... Killeen is a lot of pointless shootouts."
Oakley eventually moved to Macon, Georgia, where he met an Army recruiter who, over the span of several years, helped him put together the appropriate waivers to allow him to actually enlist.
"I had to get an ASVAB waiver, I had to get a tattoo waiver, everything ... even though my parents were in the Army, nobody would give me the time of day," he said. "There was one recruiter who didn't give up on me. For two years, he didn't give up."
Oakley finally went off to basic training in September 2017, plowing through Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training before he graduated around March 2018. A few months afterwards, he was deployed to Kuwait with the 504th.
His stay in Kuwait was "fine," Oakley said, although he felt he missed out on actually seeing combat.
"I wanted to go to Iraq so bad," he said. "I felt like it's in my blood."
Oakley had been home from Kuwait for just about four months when he found himself brandishing his Glock stuck in the Cielo Vista Mall Footlocker. A handful of employees had initially brought down the store's metal security gate, but they had decided to make a run for the mall exits. Oakley followed, an impromptu rear guard for the group.
The group quickly stumbled upon a group of a dozen children clustered in one of the mall's open play areas, screaming for their parents. Oakley says he tried to get fleeing bystanders to help, but none would stop.
"I didn't even think. I just grabbed as many kids as I could and ran five stores down to the exit," he said. "We got there and ran into a whole batch of police pointing their guns at us. I wasn't focused on myself, and I wasn't focused on my surroundings ... I was just focused on those kids."
In an interview with CNN outside the Cielo Vista Mall, Oakley was clearly shaken, the adrenaline pumping through his system. And when reached by Task & Purpose on Saturday, he said said that, despite his training, he was "scared for my life."
"I heard four kids died," he said, his voice softening. "I wish I could have gotten more kids out of there. I wish those guys who ran would have stayed ... I just think, what if that was my child? How would I want some other man to react?"
A pause: "I wish they had some sense of service."
|
|
|
|
Post by oldhippy on Aug 5, 2019 12:48:41 GMT
Rapid Response: Early lessons from the El Paso active shooter attack
Author: Mike Wood
On August 3, 2019, a 21-year-old active shooter killed 20 and wounded 26 at a Walmart located near the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas. The shooter was arrested by police “without incident” shortly thereafter. Although the shooting in El Paso happened less than 24 hours ago as this article was being written, and there are many gaps in our understanding and knowledge of the incident, there’s still enough information available to identify some early lessons from the attack. Response time It’s been reported that the first 911 call was received at 1039, and law enforcement was on the scene by 1045. The suspect was in custody 21 minutes later, at 1106. This is a strong response from the El Paso law enforcement community, and they deserve credit for what they accomplished. Bureau of Justice statistics indicate only 30% of calls for service are answered within 5 minutes, so a 6-minute response time is probably much better than the national average. Unfortunately though, the attacker was able to kill 20 and wound 26 in those 6 minutes, illustrating the fact that no matter how fast the police respond (and there will always be some kind of delay), the public must be able to evacuate, protect and sustain themselves until the arrival of professional help. It’s imperative that public safety officials embrace their role in preparing the public for the terrible interval between the first report of an active shooter and the arrival of police, fire and EMS. FBI statistics indicate that 70% of active shooter attacks are over within 5 minutes, which is well inside the response time of most law enforcement agencies, so we must focus more of our effort on third-generation active shooter response – getting the public ready to fend for themselves. Interagency coordination Video from the scene shows that a variety of public safety agencies responded to the attack, with U.S. Border Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety and other personnel assisting the El Paso Police Department. Given that the Walmart had an estimated 3,000 patrons and employees on property at the time of the attack, and was adjacent to a shopping mall that contained many times that number, the additional manpower was vital to response and recovery operations. There are few – if any – agencies in America that could provide enough personnel to adequately staff a scene like this, so it’s vital for agencies to have a robust mutual aid plan, and to ACTIVELY train with their neighbors. This includes cross-service training with fire and EMS! If your agency’s active shooter or mass casualty incident (MCI) training doesn’t include personnel from fire, EMS and law enforcement partners EVERY TIME, then you will not be adequately prepared for real-world joint operations. The manifesto It has become more commonplace for killers to leave a “manifesto” behind for public consumption following their attacks, and the El Paso killer followed the recent trend by posting his to a social media website prior to the attack. These manifestos serve multiple purposes. In one sense, they allow the killer to influence how the media and the public will perceive and portray them, which gives them some control over crafting their legacy. Additionally, they provide a vehicle for the killer to spread their hateful and twisted message to a wider audience, and potentially recruit new people to their cause. Law enforcement agencies should be especially sensitive to this manipulation, and should ensure their personnel are trained to communicate facts without indulging the ego of the killer, elevating their status, or spreading their message. For instance, the killer’s name and image should not be used in press conferences because it promotes the fame and recognition that the killer desires. Similarly, commentary on the killer’s manifesto ramblings should be avoided, because it helps to disseminate their message and attract others to it. Likewise, law enforcement leaders should refrain from making comments that exaggerate the danger or effect of the killer and his weapons, because this will only assist in promoting the terror that the attacker sought to create, and enhancing his image – which will, in turn, make him a more attractive symbol or role model for others with similar plans and thoughts. It’s instructive that the El Paso killer referenced the Christchurch, New Zealand, killer and his manifesto, just as the Christchurch killer made references in his own manifesto to the killer from the earlier attacks in Norway. A similar situation occurred in the Poway, California, synagogue attack, where the killer there referenced the Christchurch killer and the killer from the synagogue attack in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We cannot underestimate the recruiting value of these statements, and must be extremely careful to avoid helping the killers advance their cause, and become celebrities by focusing too much attention on them. The killer’s training and equipment In his manifesto, the El Paso killer left some valuable information for us to consider about his preparation for the attack. To begin with, the killer displayed a more enhanced knowledge about firearms and ammunition than we’ve seen from some other active shooters. He discussed the selection of ammunition that would have the greatest terminal effect in his rifle, and even took the time to debate the merits of other firearm and ammunition combinations. The killer also described how his rifle became heated with high volume, rapid fire and discussed the need to wear a protective glove to avoid injury and wield the weapon with greater efficiency. These statements give us a clue that this killer was better prepared to use his weapon than some others have been (such as the YouTube active shooter), and serve as a reminder to law enforcement that we cannot assume anything about an active shooter’s training and equipment. Some active killers will be relatively unskilled and unsophisticated, and will be armed with inferior weapons, but there will also be others on the opposite end of the spectrum, and at all points in between. Treat every opponent with respect, and choose your tactics wisely. It’s also notable that the El Paso killer chose an AK-pattern rifle for his attack, in contravention to the recent trend of AR-platform guns for those killers who chose long guns. The AR-pattern gun is simply more commonplace in America, so it’s seen more often in these crimes than the AK, but it’s interesting to note that the killer at the Gilroy Garlic Festival – just a week before – used the same make of gun. Given that the “copycat effect” is strong in active shooter attacks, it’s possible that the current killer could have been influenced by those before him in his selection of equipment, as we’ve seen so many times before. This is important for law enforcement to keep in mind, particularly when they’re asked to publicly comment on the tactics and equipment used by a killer – there’s no sense in providing valuable intelligence about what worked and what did not to the next attacker, so avoid discussing details that are unnecessary for public consideration. Since the AR-pattern rifle is the de facto standard in American law enforcement, and few officers receive training in other systems, it’s a good idea for agencies to consider adding some familiarization training to their program. Do you, or the officers on your department know how to operate and safe an AK-pattern rifle? If not, this is easily fixed with a quick video or practical demonstration during a pre-shift briefing – it doesn’t take much effort, but could help to avoid an unnecessary tragedy. Similarly, do you understand how the terminal ballistics of a 7.62x39mm round differ from cartridges like your patrol rifle’s 5.56x45mm, and what might constitute effective cover against this cartridge? Again, it wouldn’t take much effort to review this in a hasty, pre-shift briefing, but the knowledge could prove vital to your survival if you encountered a suspect armed with an AK-pattern rifle. One last equipment-related item is worth noting from El Paso – the killer wore hearing protection during the attack, which is quite unusual. We don’t know why, but we can speculate that he wanted to preserve his hearing for tactical reasons, to make himself more effective when the police arrived. Here, it’s possible that the El Paso killer took his cue from the Virginia Beach killer, who used a suppressor during the attack on the city government building, which conceivably gave him a tactical advantage by preserving a vital sense. Once again, we’re reminded that active killers are often good students of past attacks, and incorporate the “lessons learned,” just as we do, to improve performance. Active shooter training scars The El Paso killer shot several victims outside the Walmart prior to entering the building and shooting more. Had chance and circumstances been slightly different, the responding officers may have interrupted the shooter’s attack in the parking lot, which is a much different environment than many officers train for. In many agencies, the thrust of active shooter training is focused exclusively on indoor scenarios, where officers have to enter and clear a building, as they hunt down the killer. This is certainly an important skillset to develop, but agencies must ensure that they include outdoor scenarios in their training and preparations as well, since a significant percentage of active shooter attacks (14% in a US Secret Service study of attacks in 2018, with other studies indicating potentially higher numbers) occur outdoors. If your agency’s active shooter training always focuses on indoor scenarios, that’s a potential training scar that could impact your success in real life. A parking lot offers different tactical realities and restrictions than a school building, and you need to be ready to operate in each to end the active killer threat. Be ready The attack in El Paso was just hours old when another active shooter attack occurred in Dayton, Ohio. One lesson that reigns supreme about the El Paso and Dayton attacks is that they won’t be the last. Neither of these communities expected to be the site of the next MCI, and your community is probably the same. As public safety professionals, it’s up to us to recognize that the danger is real, and the time to prepare for it is NOW. You can never be too ready for an attack like this, so stay sharp, train hard and God bless you all. |
|
