On February 12, off-duty Ogden (Utah) Police Officer Ken Hammond was having dinner with his pregnant wife near the Trolley Square Mall when 18-year-old Sulejmen Talovic began shooting people inside the mall. Talovic was reportedly armed with a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol and carried a backpack full of ammunition.
Ultimately, Talovic killed five people and wounded four. By all accounts, the death toll would have been significantly higher if not for the heroic actions of Officer Hammond, who armed only with a handgun, fired at Talovic. Although Officer Hammond’s rounds did not hit Talovic, they caused him to take cover and severely limited his movement. When additional officers arrived on scene, Talovic was killed.
On April 16, 2007, a lone gunman, armed with two 9mm handguns, shot and killed at least 33 people on the campus of Virginia Tech in what has become the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. Additionally, dozens more were reportedly wounded.
At about 7:15 a.m., at least one person was killed and several others were wounded in a dormitory. About two hours later, Norris Hall, the engineering and mechanics building, became the scene of several more casualties.
At the time of this writing, it is believed that the gunman (unidentified) killed himself.
It would be difficult to imagine a more extreme example of how having a well-trained, armed police officer in the right place at the right time can make all the difference in the world.
Take cover or aggress the threat?
First of all, I want to make clear that I am in no way placing any fault on the students or victims of Virginia Tech. Their purpose is simply to receive an education and they should not be tasked with carrying the additional burden of responding to an active shooter” scenario. With that being said, how different might the outcome have been if a small group of students had aggressively charged the shooter as opposed to dropping to the floor?
Initial reports were that the shooter was armed with two 9mm handguns. While no one wants to be shot, the chances of surviving a handgun round (particularly a 9mm round) are fairly high. Imagine if a group of students tackled the shooter and pinned down his hands while literally beating the life out of him.
Again, college students aren’t cops. We can’t expect them to respond in the same manner as a highly trained and armed police officer might.
Another factor to consider is time. For instance, the passengers of United Flight 93 had time to develop and implement a plan that in all likelihood saved hundreds of lives on September 11, 2001.
It’s not yet clear whether any of the students at Virginia Tech had an opportunity to devise any type of plan to stop the shooter.
Conclusion
In today’s society, extreme violence can erupt in the blink of an eye. It’s your responsibility to take into account likely scenarios that could occur at the locations you most frequent, whether school, work, or recreationally. By simply considering such a possibility, you will be better prepared should you find yourself in a life or death situation.
