TED WILLIAMS, GREAT TO GET YOUR
INSIGHT.
IT’S A HORRIFIC SITUATION.
MEANTIME, LET’S BRING IN FORMER
DHS SECRETARY CHAD WOLF.
YOU’VE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS
CONVERSATION WE’VE HAD WITH TED
WILLIAMS.
THE DPS SAID IT EARLIER.
HE SAID AN ACTIVE SHOOTER
SITUATIONS, IT’S SIMPLE.
YOU PUT PEOPLE IN A LINE, IN A
PILE IF YOU HAVE TO, YOU GO IN
AND YOU KEEP SHOOTING UNTIL THE
SHOOTER IS DEAD.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT WE’RE
HEARING AND FINDING OUT TODAY.
>> WELL, LOOK, THE TIMELINE THAT
THEY LAID OUT IS PROBLEMATIC ON
A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FRONTS.
THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF
DIFFICULT QUESTIONS TO AND FROM
LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SCHOOL
SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE.
WHAT WAS THE TEACHER DOING, WHY
WAS THE DOOR PROPPED UP, WHY DID
IT CONTINUE TO BE PROPPED OPEN?
A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT
QUESTIONS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN
YOU’RE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
YOU’RE NOT SURE IF IT’S AN
ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION, YOU
HAVE TO GO IN THERE AND MAKE
SURE THAT IN THIS CASE THE
SCHOOL IS CLEAR OF ANY
ADDITIONAL THREATS.
YOU KNOW THERE’S ADDITIONAL
STUDENTS IN THERE.
YOU KNOW THAT THEY HAVEN’T ALL
BEEN EVACUATED AS THE TIMELINE
LAYS OUT.
THEY EVACUATED THEM LATER IN
THAT TIMELINE.
SO YOU KNOW STUDENTS ARE STILL
THERE.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE
TO GO THROUGH AND MAKE SURE THAT
THEY’RE SAFE.
AGAIN, I THINK -- OBVIOUSLY A
LOT OF DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE
THAT WERE WRONG AT THE END OF
THE DAY.
TEXAS DPS SAID THAT.
AS MORE AND MORE INFORMATION
COMES OUT IN THE DAYS AHEAD,
THERE’S A LOT OF HARD QUESTIONS
TO BE ANSWERED AND SOME
QUESTIONABLE CHOICES THAT ARE
MADE AT THE END OF THE DAY.
WE’LL BE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE
THAT THESE OFFICERS WERE
PROPERLY RESOURCED, DID THEY
HAVE THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY
NEEDED.
IF THEY DIDN’T, WHY DIDN’T THEY
HAVE IT.
MOST ALL UNIFORMED LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS PROPERLY
TRAINED AND ON THE FRONT LINE
SHOULD HAVE THE NECESSARY
EQUIPMENT TO DO WHATEVER THEY
NEED TO DO IN THIS CASE AND NOT
HAVE TO WAIT 30, 40 MINUTES FOR
MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH MORE
TACTICAL GEAR.
>> THEY HAD TACTICAL GEAR.
THAT’S THE QUESTION HERE.
DO YOU WAIT FOR THE EQUIPMENT?
PARENTS OUTSIDE SAID WE’LL GO
IN.
GIVE US YOUR GUNS.
HELP US.
WE’LL GO IN AND RESCUE OUR
CHILDREN.
YOU SAID YESTERDAY AND WE ALL
SAID THIS, THE BORDER PATROL
AGENTS WERE HERO.
NOW WE FIND OUT THE TIMELINE.
THEY ARRIVED AT 12:16.
THEY DIDN’T BREACH THE CLASSROOM
UNTIL 12:50.
34 MINUTES TO GET IN THE RULE
AND KILL THE SHOOTER.
YOU FIND THAT UNUSUAL?
>> WELL, I DO.
I DON’T KNOW THE REASONING
BEHIND THAT, RIGHT?
I CAN UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT OF
A DELAY OF THE TIME THAT THEY
ARRIVE ON THE SCENE TO ASCERTAIN
WHAT’S GOING ON, TO GET AN
UPDATE.
TO DO THEIR JOB AT THE END OF
THE DAY.
THE BORDER PATROL AND THE BORTAC
UNIT ARE FIRST RESPONDERS.
THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE THE
TACTICAL ON-SCENE COMMANDER
THERE.
THEY’RE THERE AS BACKUP.
THEY HAVE A CERTAIN SET OF
EQUIPMENT AND SKILL SET THAT
MANY POLICE OFFICERS DON’T HAVE.
SO IT DOESN’T SURPRISE ME THAT
THEY WERE FIRST THROUGH THE DOOR
OR THE SECOND THROUGH THE DOOR.
THEY’RE HEROS.
BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT IN
A POSITION TO ACT SOONER.
>> I HAVE TO GO BUT I WANTED TO
KNOW.
YOU TALK ABOUT THE ACTING
COMMANDER, THE TACTICAL UNIT ON
THE SCENE.
THE DECISION MADE THAT WE’RE
GOING TO STAND BACK BECAUSE IT’S
NO LONGER ACTIVE SHOOTER.
CAN THAT DECISION BE OVERRIDDEN
IN THE FIELD?
>> IN THEORY, YES, CAN IT BE
OVERRIDDEN.
YOU HAVE A CHAIN OF COMMAND IN
LAW ENFORCEMENT LIKE MILITARY
WHAT THEY DO REQUIRES BELIEF IN
THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.
THEY DON’T LIKE TO OVERRULE.
YOU’RE ALWAYS IN CERTAIN
SITUATIONS.
I GOT TO THINK THAT THIS IS ONE
WHERE WE SAID THIS IS NOT THE
WISEST DECISION.
I CAN STILL -- WE KNOW CHILDREN
ARE STILL IN THERE.
MAYBE THERE’S ANOTHER WAY TO DO
THIS.
>> THE PARENTS COULD HEAR THE
GUN SHOTS.
THEY COULD HEAR THE GUN SHOTS,
BEGGING WITH POLICE.
EVERYBODY COULD HEAR THE GUN