Nashville police were bold, swift in school shooting. It again exposes Uvalde cowardice | Opinion
Whenever tragedy occurs, look for the heroes — that’s what some say, a mechanism for survival, to keep from succumbing to nihilism. When a shooter descended upon Uvalde’s Robb Elementary last year, little heroism could be found. It was devastating for the victims and the town, and for gun-rights advocates, it blunted the argument that the best solution for a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with one.
Less than 15 minutes elapsed from the time the shooter broke into the school, an incredible response. Three adults and three students, including the 9-year-old daughter of a former Dallas pastor, and were killed, but by the looks of the footage and the fact that the shooter had three firearms, it could have been a lot worse.
The differences between Uvalde and Nashville law enforcement responses could not be more stark. It looks as if Nashville officers saw the tragedy unfold in Uvalde and just decided: That’s not going to be us. The response is so markedly different, a demonstration of sheer verve, bravery and good training.
It makes Uvalde all the more sickening. When police first arrived at the scene, they initially burst into the school with resolve. They were wrongly informed that the shooter was alone in a room with no victims. Believing that their response is no longer urgent, they wait.
In Nashville, the opposite happened: A school employee can be seen waiting outside for police, then telling officers exactly what’s happening and where to go. Undoubtedly this direct chain of information saved valuable time.
In Uvalde, officers eventually heard gunshots again and were told there were several victims inside a classroom with the gunman. The victims, 9-year old children, are frantically calling 911. Still, the officers wait. They claim they can’t open the door.
In Nashville, a cop either already had keys or was given them immediately, and he unlocked and opened the door right away.
In Uvalde, cops waited for nearly 75 minutes before finally gathering the nerve to rush the gunman, break down the door and kill him. In retrospect, that seems like time for an influx of excuses, none of which make sense. It was recently reported that some officers told investigators that once they knew the shooter had an AR-15, they felt outgunned, and that’s why they didn’t go after the shooter faster. But footage from that day shows at least three law enforcement officers also had AR-15s.
Excuses, all: The real issue is a lack of bravery. It takes true courage to run towards gunfire, but these men and women volunteered, trained and were armed to do just that.
The Nashville shooter had three weapons — two rifles and a handgun — it’s not clear yet if the police knew that or cared. While some of the officers had only handguns, at least one had a gun with a low power variable optic, a tactical advantage.
The ultimate difference that’s obvious between Uvalde and Nashville is a sense of urgency, that every moment counts. Nashville officer Rex Engelbert can be heard on the footage as soon as he arrives at the school: “Give me three! I need three! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Engelbert constantly told them to get moving. The team ran into classrooms, checked bathrooms, and hustled down hallways. When they heard gunshots, they ran toward them, yelling at each other to go forward. They didn’t waste a second.
In Uvalde, men loitered around, getting hand sanitizer, talking on radios and cell phones. Sporadically, one or two tried to encourage their peers to get moving. But they seemed to give up.
Finally, there’s the issue of transparency: Body cam footage from Uvalde wasn’t released for at least two months. It took weeks just to get an accurate timeline of events, such was the botched nature of the entire day. In Nashville, the footage was released in about 24 hours. When you have nothing to hide, it shows.
Uvalde’s victims — 19 children and two teachers — deserved better. All of our kids and teachers deserve to pursue education without fear. Until we can stop criminals from breaking into our schools with firearms and malicious intent, we must do what we can to prevent evil or act with bravery when we do encounter it.
In Uvalde, some hard lessons were learned. Every city in America should see the Metro Nashville Police Department’s response to evil and be grateful for it.
