Nashville vs. Uvalde shootings: A contrast in police responses

The swift and arranged police reaction to the varsity taking pictures in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday used to be roundly lauded by means of native officers and credited with combating further carnage and casualties.

A six-minute frame digicam video launched Tuesday confirmed officials weaving thru study rooms and corridors earlier than drawing near and neutralizing the shooter, who by means of then had shot and killed six other people, together with 3 scholars.

“They trained for that. And this moment happened and they didn’t hesitate at all,” Metro Nashville Chief of Police John Drake stated Tuesday on “Good Morning America.”

He added, “They responded, immediately went inside, knew the danger that was going on. Shots were being fired at the police cars. That did not deter them. They went anyway inside.”

The legislation enforcement reaction in Nashville stood in stark contrast with the occasions that spread out closing 12 months at Robb Elementary School, the place officials waited 77 mins earlier than confronting and killing the shooter.

John Cohen, a former Homeland Security professional, veteran police coaching professional and ABC News contributor, reviewed and scrutinized frame digicam photos to be had from each incidents and located that the officials in Nashville did “exactly what we hope those who put on the badge will do when they confront a dangerous situation like an active shooter.”

“As a legislation enforcement skilled, I watched The Covenant School video with an intense sense of pleasure,” Cohen said. “I know the way onerous the ones officials’ hearts are pumping and what that worry appears like. But because of this you join the process. And they went in there and did it.”

Cohen laid out several key points that demonstrated how the officers successfully responded. They communicated with school officials and immediately tried to assess the situation — learning the number of suspects and determining where people were sheltered in place, he said. Moreover, officers operated with urgency and purpose to quickly clear rooms and communicate which rooms were cleared. After neutralizing the shooter, officers immediately formed security teams and began providing aid to the victims, he noted.

In Uvalde, responding law enforcement officials faced a deluge of scrutiny after a gunman shot and killed 21 people, including 19 students. After initially praising first responders for their efforts, state and local leaders eventually acknowledged cascading missteps that compounded the outcome of the attack.

“We failed,” Col. Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told ABC News. “And I say ‘failed’ and I stated ‘we’ … as a result of jointly we did.”