The 5 Stages of an Active Shooter

[novamind]

This is from the Washington County Sheriffs Office website http://www.co.washington.or.us/Sheriff/News/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=670122

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[Chalupacabra]

Of special interest is the last paragraph.

 

[MarkAd]

Interesting read.

 

[DuneHopper]

I think number #1 is wrong.

First find one crazy twisted @&%$ and tell him to listen to the voices in his head.

 

[revjen45]

Some time back a CCW person responded to an active shooter with a challenge rather than immediately opening fire because he didn't really want to kill a 22 yr old. He is now paralyzed. I am reminded of the immortal words of Tuco in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, i.e. "If you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk." Yelling "Drop it!" "Don't move!" etc. will get you killed or FUBAR for the rest of your life. Disclaimer - be sure of your target and what is around/behind it.

 

[MarkAd]

rev is referring to the Tacoma Mall shooting. The good guy made the decision right for him. He saved the life of the shooter and has no regrets for what he did even being in a chair the rest of his life.

 

[Flopsweat]

Link not working now. I tried it in two different browsers.

 

[Boomerang]

He fantasizes about the media coverage

That reminded me of this: The Media Is an Accomplice in School Shootings | Psychology Today

 

[Boomerang]

Link not working now. I tried it in two different browsers.

Here's the text:

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The 5 Stages of an Active Shooter

1. Fantasy Stage During this stage the shooter has daydreams of the shooting. He fantasizes about the news coverage. He idolizes other shooters. He might draw pictures of the event and make Web postings.
Would-be Active Shooters in the Fantasy Stage will often discuss their desires with friends and foes alike. If news of these fantasies are shared with you, believe them and pass them on to law enforcement. If police can intervene prior to the suspect acting on their fantasy there may never be a head line.

2. Planning Stage The suspect is deciding on the "who, what, when, where and how" of his day of infamy. He will put his plans down in writing. He will quite often discuss these plans with others and sometimes seek out an accomplice. He will plan the time and location to ensure the most victims, or in some cases to target specific victims.
He will determine the weapons he will need and where he will get them. He will decide how to travel to the target area and how to dress to conceal his weapons without arousing suspicion.
If the police are tipped during this stage, once again, intervention can be made prior to people dying and families crying.

3. Preparation Stage The suspect may be obtaining gunpowder for his improvised explosive devices. He might break into grandfather’s house to steal some weapons and ammunition for the event. He might stockpile or pre-position weapons and explosives for the assault. He might train with the weapons by shooting regularly and testing explosive devices. He might conduct surveillance of the target location. Active Shooters have been known to call friends and tell them not to go to school or work on the scheduled day of the attack in an effort to keep them out of the line of fire.
If one of these friends calls the police about their concerns, this citizen intervention may prevent multiple funerals.

4. Approach Stage This is a very dangerous stage. The suspect has made his plans and decided to act. He will be walking, driving, or riding toward his intended target, armed with his tools of death.
Contact with the soon-to-be active shooter could come in the form of a traffic stop, a citizen call, or a stop and frisk. A thorough investigation can still lead to an arrest of the suspect before he brings down a multitude of victims in a needless shooting or bombing.

5. Implementation Stage Once the shooter opens fire, immediate action needs to be taken. The Active Shooter will continue to kill until he runs out of victims or ammunition, or is stopped. This suspect is unique, because he is fully dedicated to going for the “top score,” which is measured in kills.
The sooner an on- or off-duty officer or citizen intervenes with an effective, efficient act of courage, the fewer casualties there will be. In past incidents, active shooters have been thwarted by police officers, security guards, school teachers and students. One principal recently died successfully stopping an active shooter in a Wisconsin school. There is a risk in doing something, but the greatest risk lies in doing nothing.

 

[Flopsweat]

Thanks Boomerang. Interesting read.

 

[Morpheus]

I have some big time issues with some of these items. It is kind of like the stereotypical serial killer description. White, male, in his 20s to 30s, quiet guy, above average intelligence, didn't like school, and single. Think about how many people you know that fit that description.

Oh, toss in plays video games or likes action movies. And I'm betting this group is fairly large.

While I do believe that people need to be WAY more aware of people around them, this basically is saying 'if someone does something weird' turn them into the authorities. Add to this the fact that most of the time the big tale-tell warning signs are only warning signs after the fact. And that turning someone in can ruin their life for a misunderstanding?

Yes, safer than sorry... Unless you are the innocent person who gets labeled and has to fight their way out of some BS label.

Where is the other side of this document on how the police should handle the suspect (now you would be one) to make sure they aren't making a mistake and some normal person is about to get tossed into the same category as the real nut bags? Take the example of the Preper (we had a thread on here somewhere) who told his doctor he was feeling down, now he has been labeled as having 'mental issues' and the state took his firearms away.

It just seems like a great 'we have to do something right now, but we don't know what' document.