Unlike in Uvalde, Haltom City police, fire showed speed and courage that crises demand
These days, it seems like bad news is ubiquitous, and it’s a tendency of the human condition to recognize cowardice and failure more often than heroism and competence. But the two often coexist and it’s vital — not to mention heartening — to recognize heroes when they exceed expectations.
A great example came over the July Fourth weekend: the Haltom City Police Department’s response to a neighborhood shooting.
On Saturday, Edward Freyman, 28, killed a man and woman and wounded a neighbor before opening fire on several officers as they approached the home where residents believed he lived. After shooting Collin Davis, 33, and Amber Tsai, 32, both of whom died, Freyman killed himself about a half mile from Tsai’s house. The neighbor and police officers who were shot are all recovering from their wounds.
Though it appears the shooter knew Davis and neighbors believed him to be living with Tsai in her home, it’s not clear what their relationship was or what caused Freyman to become violent.
A home-security video shows the officers standing outside the home where Freyman was holed up. As he fired upon three officers, more run directly towards the gunfire, no doubt saving lives.
This took incredible strength and bravery. As we observed during the Uvalde school shooting, it takes a special kind of courage and tenacity to run towards gunfire, when others are fleeing and taking cover. In that tragic case, it’s almost certain that officers could have intervened and saved lives, perhaps many.
It prompted discussion of the bravery and willingness to sacrifice that we count on in police in dire situations. Haltom City’s officers passed the test.
Cpl. Zach Tabler and Officers Jose Avila and Tim Barton all sustained gunshot wounds. Barton was released from the hospital on Sunday. Avila and Tabler are still recovering. “All three are in good spirits and are missing shenanigans on late night patrol!” the department wrote in a Facebook post. We applaud their speed and fearlessness.
Kudos not only go to the officers in harm’s way — six who were immediately on scene and several more that followed — but also to other members of the Haltom City Fire/Rescue Department. We want to single out Bryce Davis, the director of community preparedness and outreach. He was responsible for alerting neighbors, via text, within a defined radius of the home where the shooter had taken cover.
The city sends such alerts in cases in which the public may be in imminent danger. It was vital in this case; police did not immediately know where the shooter was when they arrived on scene.
Several people posted on the police department’s Facebook page that they were thankful for the alerts, which warned them to remain inside and vigilant with an armed suspect possibly on the loose.
“They did everything correct,” Sgt. Rick Alexander of Haltom City police said of the officers on the scene.
We’ll take that a step further and say that when police abuses and leadership failures seem to abound, this emergency brought out heroism. While we mourn the victims and wish the officers speedy recoveries, let’s recognize and honor that valor.
