“I hate playing Monday morning quarterback,” but there could have been another way to handle the situation, Halbig said in a telephone interview.
Halbig, a retired police officer and school safety expert, said from reading media reports it appeared that Gonzalez was the only one in imminent danger. He believes if Gonzalez had planned to hurt any other students, he would have immediately shot them while inside a classroom.
Halbig said he has trained about 3,000 school police officers nationwide about what to do when confronted by a student with a handgun.
“I can’t believe they both fired (at Gonzalez),” Halbig said. “He was not a threat to anyone but himself. The rule for law enforcement, whether you are on the street or on the school campus, is to look at all your options. … When you shoot a 16-, a 15- or a 14-year-old in the leg, trust me there is pain. But to take a life. ... A headshot is a kill shot. Is that what we are all about?”) Quoted today in The Brownsville Herald
By Wolfgang H. Halgib
I would like to respond and clarify to those who responded to this newspaper article. It was not easy to respond to a school shooting in which a middle school student was shot to death. Yes, I was In the comfort of my home when speaking with the news reporter.I would never respond to an incident in which police officers had to use deadly force unless I walked in their shoes as a former Florida State Trooper working in Miami Florida with gun drawn and having to make a difficult choice.
My comments in this newspaper article were solely based on the information provided to me by the media and law enforcement. At 1st even they get the information wrong when providing information to the public as quickly as possible.
What questions would you be asking if that was your child when you received a call stating that your child was jus...t shot and killed while in school?
My comments are only made because these school shootings by school police officers in such a quick and decisive manner causes me extreme concerns.
The last case that I worked on was when a SWAT team member used a scope rifle and shot and killed a middle school student while he was isolated and contained in the boys bathroom with no threat to anyone else but himself. This issue was resolved within a 35 min. time frame when the gun was 1st reported, it was a pellet gun.
The SWAT team member who shot and killed a young boy stated that he was in fear of his life, how is that possible when you're looking through the scope from behind the wall?
Please remember that this young man had already entered the classroom and hit another student in the face, he did not shoot that student or anyone else in the classroom or while walking on the campus heading to the hallway where he was isolated since all the other students and teachers and staff were locked down in their classrooms with lights out.
I took for granted that the police officers used their handguns, now finding out that they use their rifles causes me even more concern and only hope that those who responded on the comments understand that this is not to criticize but to find other options quickly before taking your life.
27 comments:
Other options? Yea right! That kid was in a school pointing what appeared to be a real pistol at officers after being repeatedly told to drop it.
That kid committed suicide either by design or through sheer stupidity. What blame there is for this tragic affair rests solely on his dead shoulders.
I can understand how his family in their gief can flail about and look for others to blame, but the community does not have to join them in their emotional response.
We can second guess the police all we want....and the media takes every opportunity to second guess everyone but themselves. There were probably "other" ways to act at Cummings School....bring in dogs, physical take-down of the subject, isolation of the subject, tear gas, taser, or the police could have sung a lullaby. If the dog had been killed or injured, we would have Pat Ahumada and all the PETA folks critical of the action. Of course the Herald would take their view. If a police officer had been hurt or killed in a take-down; we would have that group up in arms and the Herald would take their view. In each case the community would have responded differently and the Herald would have printed their view....since the Herald has no jounalistic style except public outrage...to sell papers. Eddie Lucio blames the pellet gun because it looks real. It is time to back up our police officials who responded and took action based on the young terrorist they faced. After all the tax dollars expended to eliminate this young terrorist....no the family wants us to pay for the funeral. The "pobrecito" whines are inevitable. I think the parents should have to pay for the expenditure of tax dollars to contain their kid.
This dude just wants to be an expert witness in the civil lawsuit. Point a weapon at me in my house and you too would be dead. Point a weapon in the middle of a school with 750 kids and staff inside and you will be sorry.
(That kid committed suicide either by design or through sheer stupidity. What blame there is for this tragic affair rests solely on his dead shoulders.)
Applause!!!
Rudolpho.
When I was in school, the teachers would have been all over this kid's ass in a heartbeat. Back when school was about education and not day care, the parents would not have let this happen. Too many whiney parents and disrespectful brats in the system who expect day care and education without their (parents) involvement. Follow the rules or pay the price...this kid paid the price for stupidity.
Quintanilla has been silent on this issue of police violence against a poor Mexican kid. You need to interview him Juan. No way this happens if it's a white kid in the rich side of town. La Raza need his voice.
Yes, I'm sure that the parents of the child who was ONLY hit by this kid are relieved. Really?!? Jaime came in ready for a fight with rage in his soul. Luckily, he didn't take out the gun... yet.
So, Mr. Wolfgang, you're implying that officers should have risked their own lives in order to avoid injuring a confused adolescent carrying a gun. Don't you understand how unpredictable teenage boys are? You must have never been a middle school teacher like I am. Why should the officers have risked their lives when, for all they knew, they were in the direct line of Jaime's fire. You'd feel better if this kid shot an officer first, wouldn't you? Next time this happens I guess we'll just call you to handle the situation. Until then, I thank the BISD and Brownsville police for the protection they provided that morning.
(Don't you understand how unpredictable teenage boys are? You must have never been a middle school teacher like I am.)
Isn't Rick Longoria a middle school teacher? Isn't Rick Longoria brother the one that shot the teenager?
(Quintanilla has been silent on this issue of police violence against a poor Mexican kid. You need to interview him Juan. No way this happens if it's a white kid in the rich side of town. La Raza need his voice.)
I agree with this poast.
Meat Plow
Mr. Wolfgang also stated no one was in imminent danger cuz everyone was on lock down so he was not a danger to anyone. Didn't the cops arrest a second student who was roaming the hall?
That is why there are lock downs because there is danger outside. A locked door can be broken down, some doors have glass window. Windows can be shot down. The kid was in the front office and ran down the hall thus endangering 750+ students/teacher/staff and administrators. Mr. Wolfgang put your family in a locked room with a gunman outside and then tell them they are not in danger moron! Another thing people please stop calling it a toy gun or it was just a pellet gun. Toy guns are bought at the toy dept. This is a weapon!
I feel for the family and Jaime Gonzalez RIP. I feel for the cops who kept everyone safe and put their lives at risk. I feel for all of Cummings staff/admins/ and especially the 750+ students.
The only one at fault here is this ¨kid¨ and indirectly his parents. If his immediate family could not prevent this incident, what exactly did they expect from BPD. The officers did an excellent job protecting the rest of the student body by eliminating the gunman and the threat he posed to everyone.
oh yeah and Fuck Him
Opinions are like assholes; everyone has one!! This so-called expert is blaming everyone except the kids parents, who never supervised him because he lived with his godmother, and the kid with the realistic looking toy pistol that he foolishly pointed at the Police Officers.
Wolfgang W. Halbig was a trooper for 2 years. Spent most of his career coaching and working for a school district.
www.experts.com/redirect.aspx?link=1&id=5060
The mother of Jamie is speaking about fighting back, she was on TV today. Lady, retaliation is a felony. Let the matter go through the process, she was speaking in Spanish. Defending an angry 15 year old.
I was a substitute teacher, and the little bastards are nothing but spoiled assholes, the parents are no better.
The Brownsville Herald has surely sunk their teeth into this story like a pit-bull. Suddenly the Herald is giving this story bigger headlines than the killing of Agent Jaime Zapata. WHY????? Jaime Zapata was a US agent murdered by criminals. Here the police killed a man with a gun in a public school. Why has the Herald taken it upon themselves to make a martyr out of this boy with a gun. Why is the Herald challenging the police and BISD officials and not investigating the guy with the gun on school grounds. No fairness in journalism when the Herald is just out to make a buck.
If police don't use long guns they are usually criticized. If they use long guns they are criticized. Do we want to protect our kids and the school or give in to some 15 year old punk who takes the gun to school....even a pellet gun. Pellet guns can kill....you know. Hurray for the police!!!!
Wolfgang says he doesn't like to arm chair quarterback, after the fact.
Then he goes on and does it. He just wants to be a high paid "expert witness".
the kid committed suicide, plain and simple. Certainly not the cops fault for defending themselves.
Other kids will think twice from now on, about bringing a fire arm to school.
Most communities in this nation would support the first responders (police, firement, SWAT, EMT's, etc) who kept this incident at Cummings School from being dangerous for our kids and teachers....but the Brownsville Herald has made a "martyr" out of the young terrorist who caused this incident to make the national news. The Herald is the ultimate "pobrecito" tool, even though most of the families involved don't read, or can't read the Herald. Why has the Hearld decided that the police are the bad guys here...and the kid with the gun just an innocent, but stupid, asshole who decided to take on the system. The Herald has spend more ink on this case than is deserved...and in doing so, they have been very critical of our first responders. Let's hope the police will end their subscriptions (if they have one) to the Herald.
"Quintanilla has been silent"
I agree. This was a hispanic child...What happened? BPD too big for him?
Did he commit suicide, or was he so spoiled that he really thought he could taunt the cops, and not pay a price ?
Sorry but they should have aimed for the legs, disabling the young suspect.
So I hear that the Gonzalez family has retained the Rosenthal Law firm (remember him from the Limas mess) to represent them in a lawsuiit against the city of Brownsville.
Aimed for the legs? How old are you 8? Turn off the fucking TV for a fuckin minute you fucking ignorant bitch!
wolfgang, you were a state trooper, come on, what do you really know, might as well tell me you were a cross guard at an elementary school, mind your business fool! as for you jobless fool talking about what quintanilla knows, mexican, white, yellow or black, shut up fool, only losers use that CARD!, so that makes you a LOSER! the police did exactly what is expected of them, in this type of situation, no one wins, those parents will have to live with this and so will those officers. if those officers did not take their expected action as they did and that kid shot students or school staff you fools would still be complaining on why the officers didn't shoot the armed person, so get a job fool and mind your business. as for the officers involved, keep your head up guys, you did the right thing, a hard thing but the right thing nevertheless, god bless you and your families, parents and officers!
SILHOUETTES, dont have legs bitch, officers are trained to take the threat out as they did, i bet if your son, cousin or nephew had been injured by this armed kid you wouldn't be talking your shit. wish you came across a cop holding a gun and refused to drop it! C-YA!
As a teacher at Cummings, I can tell all of you that what happened was tragic, horrific for everyone of us that lived it, and we wish all of you out there would stop speculating and or arguing back and forth. It will not bring Jaime back nor will all this bickering help the kids, teachers, administrators, staff or parents that have to face everyday with the realization that we lost a 15 yr old student, friend, cousin, nephew, etc. We all are going through the what ifs and should'ves. We don't need outsiders that just want to aggravate the situation to discuss this over and over again. We need some closure so please stop.
Jan 7@6:54PM
I agree with you:
1. YES, BPD is too big for this Quintanilla guy
2. If there is nothing in it $$$ for him...he won't even look at it!
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