Covenant School Shooting debrief

April 17, 2023

Since my previous post on the Michigan State University shooting in February, another school attack has occurred. While I have no desire to make the constant tone of my posts to be covering tragic events, this event presents learning opportunities that shouldn’t be ignored.

As I expressed in my last post, I have no desire to get into the politics of the surrounding events, but rather to focus on what we know happened and how we can use it to be better prepared to defend life should we be found in a similar situation. 

This attack occurred on March 23, 2023 at the Covenant School, which is a private school ran by a church in Nashville, TN. The attacker parked in the parking lot of the school around 9:54 AM, and entered the school by shooting out glass doors at 10:11 AM. The police received a 911 call at 10:13 AM, and the first officers to arrive made entry at 10:23 AM. They began clearing the building until they heard shots being fired from an upper floor. They moved toward the sound of the shots and located the attacker, who was firing at police officers outside through upstairs windows. The officers shot and killed the suspect, stopping the threat at 10:27 AM. Six victims were killed in the attack, three adult staff members and three 9 year old students. 

In spite of several controversies and ongoing investigation into the motive and circumstances around the attack, with the information available to us now I believe there are several things we can learn from this tragic event. 

1. No one was present to engage the threat prior to police arrival
   
   While it only took the police 4 minutes to locate and stop the threat after they arrived, it took 10 minutes for them to arrive and enter the building. This is actually a very quick response time when you consider that 10:13 AM was the time of the initial 911 call. Dispatchers were required to gather crucial information from a panicked victim and communicate the location and nature of the call to on-duty officers. The officers would have had to drop what they were doing, potentially involving disturbance calls, domestic disputes, etc. and navigate through mid-morning Nashville traffic to get to the location. All things considered, 14 minutes from initial call to stopping the threat is a very reasonable response time.
   
   However, to those inside the school, those 14 minutes seemed like an eternity. What if someone had been there to engage the threat as soon as it presented itself? The learning point here is that if you are legally allowed to concealed carry and have the training and confidence to engage a lethal threat, every place you go has the potential to put you in the position to stop a threat before victims are killed. Don’t be complacent and assume it won’t happen today.

2. Most of the time, active shooters do not intend to survive their attacks
   
   The Covenant School attacker communicated to a friend prior to attack that it was their intent to “die today”. In many mass shooting incidents including this one, the attacker(s) intend to either take their own life or commit “suicide by cop”. This insight into the mind of attackers is valuable to us as defenders of life.
   
   In this instance, the police were able to locate and engage the suspect while the suspect was firing out the window, likely not aware of the approaching officers. In some other attacks, the attackers commit suicide upon being engaged by the police (such as the Columbine school shooting in 1999 which was a major influence in changing police tactics in response to active threats).
   
   The learning point here is that in general, most attackers are prepared to either commit suicide or make a “last stand” when confronted with a counterattack. The vast majority of mass shootings are stopped one way or another when the attackers find themselves fired upon. Quick engagement of the threat is essential to protecting and preserving life.

3. Active threat response analysis by police
   
   Having access to published body camera footage from police response opens up valuable learning opportunities from the way the officers responded to the incident.
   
   Ultimately, the police responded in a textbook way to an active threat. Upon arrival, they linked up and made entry in very short order into the building. For the first 2-3 minutes, the location of the attacker was unknown, and the officers began conducting a rapid room-by-room clearing of the building. Then when shots were heard from upstairs, the officers bypassed all unknown threat areas (all uncleared areas of the school) to attempt to locate the source of the gunshots. In very short order, the officers located and engaged the threat. The published body camera footage was stopped at this point, but officers would have continued to clear the rest of the building in the event that there was more than one attacker and provide emergency medical aid.
   
   This response priority can be implemented should you find yourself in a position to engage an attacker. If the location of the attacker is not known, pay attention to all threat areas (places where the attacker(s) could be). When the general location of the attacker become known (by gunshots or other audible or visual stimulus), a tactical decision should be made to bypass all unknown threats to go to the known threat.
   
   

In conclusion, I want to note one more important point. Is it possible that you, as a law abiding citizen responding with your own gun to an active killer, could be mistaken for an attacker? 

Unfortunately it is very possible. In order to help prevent this, I want to give a couple of suggestions. One, be aware that police will (ideally) be present hopefully sooner than later. Officers will announce their presence upon entering the building, but it is still possible that you don’t hear them depending on your location, their entry point, etc. With this in mind, be aware that police likely won’t have your description and may very well perceive you as an additional attacker. Be ready to stand down at a moment’s notice and let the police take over. If you are commanded “don’t move”, then DON’T MOVE”. Do not make an attempt to quickly turn towards to police and show your hands to show that you are not a threat. Slowly and deliberately follow any commands you are given. If you become aware of police presence prior to being seen, holster or set down your firearm prior to encountering the police and make yourself as much of a non-threat as possible. Arms raised high with wide open hands is a good posture. Be prepared to be treated as a potential threat until proven otherwise. As quickly as reasonable, identify yourself as an armed citizen responding to the active threat with words only. Do not make an attempt to “flash” or unholster your gun. Follow all commands that you are given slowly and deliberately. Just know that both you and the police with be operating under high levels of stress, and it is their objective to seek out and engage the threat while still being able to return home to their families after their shift. 

Second, if communication to 911 is feasible, it can be invaluable to identify yourself as a citizen responding to the active threat and provide your location and description. Having responding officers be aware that you are present can go a long way to prevent mistaking you for a threat. 

It saddens me to have to debrief another mass killing. Especially one involving children the same age as one of mine. However, it is my desire not to bury my head in the sand and pretend that it didn’t happen. My goal is to be prepared and to prepare others to stop these violent attacks should you be in a position to do so. 

My encouragement to you is to never stop training, improving, and preparing. 

Until next time, I encourage you…

Be a warrior…

Stand in the breach…

Hold the line…

Be blessed, 

Isaac