Students and families of a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, are joining the ever-growing list of mass shooting victims.
For the nineteenth time in the year 2023, a place of learning has been attacked by a deranged serial killer.
Yes, these senseless tragedies have become routine. But this does not mean that it is easier to deal with it.
That agonizing feeling one gets upon hearing of the school closing becomes more intense. It’s even more painful because this problem is getting worse.
At Covenant School in Nashville, three nine-year-olds and three adults were killed.
Remember their names: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Cynthia Peak, Mike Hill, and Katherine Koonce.
I wish the killer would rot in hell, as I’m sure she will.
I know it’s hard to feel anything but sad in this moment. But with this tragedy comes a reminder that all is not lost. There is still courage, competence and heroism in this world – even now.
Watch the body cam videos of the police officers who first arrived at the scene. You’ll see some of what our law enforcement men and women do – at their best – every day.
One of the cameras is mounted in Officer Rex Engelbert’s chest. The other is carried by Officer Michael Collazo.
One of the cameras is mounted in Officer Rex Engelbert’s chest (top left). The other is carried by Officer Michael Collazo (above, right).
Remember their names, too.
We now know that when they arrived at the school, 28-year-old Audrey Hill, armed with two assault rifles and a handgun, was filling police cars with gunfire.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake says Hill was shooting through a second-story window and appears to have had some sort of weapons training.
Despite the danger, Engelbert and Collazo immediately left their car, grabbed their weapons and ran to the school. They were flanked by at least two other officers.
“Let’s go,” said Engelbert, using a key to unlock the doors.
They didn’t know what they would find. There may have been reports of a single shooter. But initial reports are notoriously inaccurate.
Watch how they move. Listen to their orders. They are professional and careful. But above all, they’re bent on speed.
‘the next. Go,” says Engelberg, after clearing the room.
He continues to push the officer in front of him to continue advancing.
He shouts: “Go, go” – he is constantly moving, constantly looking for the shooter.
They sweep the classrooms, check the bathrooms, and try every door. Then the gun shots ring out again and I run towards the sound.
Engelbert climbs the stairs – apparently two or three at a time. More gunshots and he muttered a curse under his breath.
He and the other officers turned around. Hill there and finished in seconds.
Watch this video and not be surprised at the stark difference between their actions and those of the police in Uvalde, Texas, who responded to the tragedy at Rupp Elementary School on May 24, 2022.
In Uvalde, the police did not press charges. It is a disgrace that will never be forgotten.
Despite the danger, Engelbert and Collazo immediately left their car, grabbed their weapons and ran to the school. They were flanked by at least four other officers. ‘Let’s go. I need three, Engelbert shouted, using a key to open the doors.
Uvalde School Police Chief Pedro Arredondo arrived at the scene and heard gunfire. But rather than treat this emergency as an active shooting situation, he determined that the armed killer was “hunt-down” behind a classroom door.
An 18-year-old gunman was allowed to remain in a room with dead, dying, and traumatized children for more than an hour while officers waited in the hallway.
For 60 minutes Arredondo and his men – nearly all armed – trembled.
Direct them to search for keys to unlock the door. Annoyingly, it never locked.
Compare that to the response in Nashville.
The time between the initial 911 call and the moment police confronted Hill was less than 10 minutes.
It took what appeared to be an arduous effort by journalists and the public to extort details of Uvalde’s failure from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“We’re not going to release anything,” the infamous Arredondo told CNN in the days after the shooting.
But in the end, it all worked out.
Arredondo later told investigators: “My first thought is we need to evacuate, we’ve contained it. … There’s probably some dead people out there, but we don’t need any more from here.”
It was the wrong call.
He puts police life before children’s lives. His decisions run counter to active shooter training, and may have a loss of life. Her constant disgrace is a terrible disgrace to the profession. Cowardice is unforgivable.
I can’t be sure, but I suppose those Nashville police officers had Uvalde in the back of their minds – when they rushed to the scene.
They sure didn’t want to appear in the body cam footage – lingering in the hallway, while the kids died.
well, that is good.
Americans expect a lot from our law enforcement professionals. They should know that their actions will be evaluated.
However, the police must also know that they will not be unjustly judged. And to be celebrated when they do it right.
The political slogan “Defund the Police” has become something of a rallying cry on the far left. It has even been overlooked by moderate Democratic politicians when appropriate.
This is why you should watch Officers Collazo and Englebert’s video. This is why we need the police.
And they weren’t the only heroes of the day.
Uvalde School Police Chief Pedro Arredondo (top, left) also arrived on the scene when gunfire was heard. But rather than treat this emergency as an active shooting situation, he determined that the armed killer was “hunt-down” behind a classroom door.
Engelbert climbs the stairs – apparently two or three at a time. More gunshots and he muttered a curse under his breath. He and the other officers turned around. Hill there and finished in seconds.
The footage also shows a surprisingly calm woman, presumably a teacher or principal, standing outside the school as officers arrive.
She reports to Engelbert that the children are on lockdown (another thing that might save lives).
And we hear about the story of Evelyn Dieckhaus, who was killed while trying to turn off a fire alarm – presumably to warn her classmates.
We can’t forget these works either.
After Uvalde, the nation was shocked when the police’s failure was exposed. Let’s apply the same brutal assessment to Nashville.
The police did their job, but why was the shooter able to enter the building?
It is too early to hold this school to account, but this is a question that must be answered.
Ask yourself. Is there any cost you would not pay to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring at your loved one’s school?
And why was Aubrey Hill able to buy seven guns from five gun stores, according to the police?
A source close to the family reportedly claimed that Hill was autistic “but functioning”. Chief Drake said she was being treated by a doctor for an “emotional disorder”.
If red flags are missed, gun laws fail, and if new legislation is needed, we must know and act.
And next time you have a chance to thank a police officer – do it.
You may need them to save your life.
