..not for all the money in the world. If what a 9 year old survivor, of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, said is correct then all I can say is that the law enforcement officer who called out "yell if you need help" will live with his or her decision to have said that for the rest of his or her life. More at the source.
Do not get me wrong - I am not second-guessing the decision of the officer to do so but I can only imagine because it essentially wound up resulting in an additional child being shot, that officer will have this on his or her conscience for his or her forever; that is if the officer has a conscience and my bet is he or she does have one.
So why no feedback from me as to whether or not I think that was the right thing to say at that particular time. Well, for all I know, that could be what the officer was trained to do - thus no Monday morning quarterbacking from me. Then again, it was a tough call to make in a tough situation when the whole world seems to be spinning out of control and rapidly changing from one Bizarro World to another as each moment passes. Therefor, all I am saying is, all I am commenting on, if what the survivor said is correct, is that the officer calling out like that definitely is in part what led to the girl being shot. Of that, I have no doubt (again dependent on the testimony of the 9 year old survivor which on the face of it seems highly credible) and the officer (sadly) will likely arrive at that same conclusion sooner or later along with many other conclusions about what was the result of his or her own words and actions during that intensely horrendous and time critical situation.
It is simply a fact, if the kid recounted things correctly (and on that point all of this pivots), that the result of the officer saying those words, no matter how you look at this, while unintended truly was a horrific one in that those words in part resulted in the death (or at least the shooting of) another young girl, someone's cherished child. Also without a doubt, so long as the officer has a conscience, that is going to weigh heavily upon the LEO's psyche in everlasting perpetuity. It is not to say that the officer will not be able to cope with it but more so that coping with it will be a life long challenge. That stands even if the officer who said it is one and the same as the Border Patrol Agent who terminated the evil dirtbag who had perpetrated this horrendous crime by murdering 19 children, two teachers and his own grandma. Again, I am not faulting the officer in any way shape or form but stating what I believe to be the factual result of those words being uttered.
From what I understand according to a report on Fox News today - the Border patrol Agent, a member of BORTAC, (the Border Patrol's equivalent of SWAT) ran into the fray without backup (more at the source - but it is confusing if he entered alone or with a team, either way he got the bastard). Regardless as to whether or not he had backup, if he is the one who shouted that out, he also has to keep something else in mind for the rest of his life - that he is the ONE who stopped the attack and prevented the loss of any other lives and he did so at great risk to himself. Of course, that will not likely be enough to erase the fact, if he actually was the one who said those words, that those words led to a little girl being shot (and my guess is killed).
What a terrible day for the victims, a sad & miserable day for the families & survivors to live through & live with for the remainder of their lives, and what a truly sad day for all Americans was that one. My sincerest condolences to the families, loved ones and friends of the victims, and my wishes for speedy and complete physical recovery for the gunshot or other injured victims who made it through alive and for all the children who will have nightmares for some time to come. Mental recovery most assuredly will not be speedy for any of them and may never fully take place but one can hope they find some peace sooner than later. As for the officer who said those words, damn it, I would not want to be that LEO (even if he was the one who shot the bad guy) but I sure hope he or she has the support that will be needed because that psychological counseling and moral support from those close to him will in fact be needed is an absolute certainty.
