A school shooting successfully stopped – but the mainstream media ignore it

I’ve only just become aware of this report from June this year.  It seems to have been ignored by the mainstream news media – probably because it had a happy ending, instead of turning into a tragedy.

Duncanville police said no children were hurt when an armed man entered the facility where a summer camp was being held.

The Duncanville Police Department is not releasing the gunman’s name or motive at this time but did say the department recently went through active shooter training. 

. . .

At 8:43 a.m., Duncanville police say a man walked in the front door armed with a handgun. He allegedly exchanged words with a staff member in the lobby and fired one round. No one was hit. 

. . .

The counselors moved the kids to a safe area and began locking the doors. 

According to police, the gunman tried to enter a classroom with children inside but was unsuccessful. That’s when police say he fired a second shot from the hallway at the door. 

. . .

Investigators say the gunman then moved to the gymnasium that was housing more children. During this time, the children were evacuated and bussed to the Duncanville Recreation Center.

Stogner says his officers arrived on scene two minutes after the first 911 call and immediately entered the building, following active shooter protocol. 

“Officers arrived on scene and observed him in the gymnasium and confronted him,” he said. “The suspect and the officers exchanged gunfire, where he was put down on the ground.”

The suspect was fatally shot during the shootout.

There’s more at the link.

Congratulations to all concerned on dealing with the threat so efficiently and so effectively.  I wish this incident had been more widely publicized, to counter the doom-gloom-and-disaster reporting so often associated with school shootings.  The camp counselors clearly did exactly the right thing in locking down the kids before the gunman could get to them;  and the responding officers did likewise in entering immediately, without thought for their own safety, and engaging the gunman before he could do any more damage.  What’s more, the first officers arrived within two minutes of the first 911 call, so they were clearly “on the ball” and ready to rumble.

The only improvement I can think of is if the counselors had been armed, and able to engage the gunman themselves.  There are a few school districts in Texas where that might have been the outcome.  I hope others will train and equip their own personnel to do likewise.

It’s often been said that the answer to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.  In this case, that proved true.

Peter