ProShooter
Regular Member
imported post
Dreamer wrote:
Binghamton, NY - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30030756/ Gunman kills 13 people in a community center. The news article says:
"Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
Those in the basement stayed in contact with police by cell phone, switching from one phone to another when their batteries ran out, Zikuski said. Others hid in closets and under desks.
Police heard no gunfire after they arrived but waited for about an hour before entering the building to make sure it was safe for officers. They then spent two hours searching the building".
Now in this example, the gunman killed himself, but no one knew that at the time. If people are still alive in the building and its unknown as to whether or not the shooter is still alive, a hostage situation must be assumed. I'm sure there are many more examples of why a hostage situation (or perceived situation) could take 2 hours. I wasnt participating in the exercise, so I can neither defend nor crucify the PD for their tactics. I can however, understandfrom my experiences how a situation like that could take several hours.
Dreamer wrote:
ProShooter wrote:Obviously I dont know for certain, but a guess would be that the 2 hours needed to secure the scene were due to a hostage situation. The Chief stated that there would be hostages/actors. A realistic hostage situation would/could take several hours to diffuse.
Please cite a single civil mass shooting incident in the history of the US where there was an extended hostage situation that lasted more than 40 minutes.
Binghamton, NY - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30030756/ Gunman kills 13 people in a community center. The news article says:
"Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
Those in the basement stayed in contact with police by cell phone, switching from one phone to another when their batteries ran out, Zikuski said. Others hid in closets and under desks.
Police heard no gunfire after they arrived but waited for about an hour before entering the building to make sure it was safe for officers. They then spent two hours searching the building".
Now in this example, the gunman killed himself, but no one knew that at the time. If people are still alive in the building and its unknown as to whether or not the shooter is still alive, a hostage situation must be assumed. I'm sure there are many more examples of why a hostage situation (or perceived situation) could take 2 hours. I wasnt participating in the exercise, so I can neither defend nor crucify the PD for their tactics. I can however, understandfrom my experiences how a situation like that could take several hours.