Here's the entire critical incident presentation released recently by the Houston PD. It provides a lot more context.
Body camera footage released by Houston police on Monday showed off-duty police officers with weapons drawn as they confronted a woman who opened fire at cel...
youtu.be
There are LOTS of lessons to be learned from this presentation.
Just a few of the biggest ones:
1) Locking the doors to the sanctuary likely prevented deaths of many innocents. The first thing the murderer tried to do was to enter the sanctuary where a meeting was about to begin. Locked doors prevented this.
2) Accuracy is KING. HPD officer Moreno recognized the murderer, and had a clear line of fire from a relatively close distance. He drew his RDS-equipped handgun and fired several shots in her direction. But missed every one.
3) Sometimes, defenders do need to take pistol shots at distance. The bald DABC officer was the only effective responder. He chose to carry a duty-sized, high-capacity firearm and at least one spare magazine. His pistol was equipped with iron sights. He advanced when he first heard shooting, sliced a large-diameter pie, and used shots from a significant distance to engage the murderer. He missed many of these shots. But he eventually put at least one shot into her that ended the threat.
4) The actions of the bystanders and police officers who chose to move between the engaging DABC officer and the murderer are simply unbelievable. Those who loitered downrange likewise. Anyone who doesn't have the tools or skills to help solve the problem must get out of the way!
5) The claimed presence of the bomb changed the defenders' response.
I do not recommend that non-sworn defenders run toward a threat. However, note that just about any defender could find himself or herself in officer Moreno's tactical situation. And could draw positive and negative lessons from his responses.
We may all benefit from considering all these lessons as we decide how to equip ourselves, and how to train with our handguns.