INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A deadly shooting at an Indiana
grocery store this week could have been much worse if not for the quick
actions of two police officers who relied on training that has become
commonplace since the 1999 Columbine shootings.
Cody Skipper and
Jason Tripp arrived at the Elkhart store within three minutes and needed
less than 60 seconds to fatally shoot a gunman who had killed two
people and was threatening a third.
But experts still disagree
whether patrol officers should confront a shooter immediately or wait
for backup, especially if an officer is alone.
A decade ago, the
Indiana officers might have waited for a specially equipped SWAT team,
which was standard practice in many police departments across the
country. Training for active-shooter situations has now become routine,
including preparing for the possibility that lone officers could be sent
to stop a rampage.
"If someone in the building is shooting, and
you’re the first one there, you’re going in," said Indiana State Police
Trooper Aaron Gaul, who trains officers from around the state.
Many security and law-enforcement professionals agree that quicker responses are needed as shootings
happen more frequently.
The
nation averaged five active-shooter situations annually between 2000
and 2008. Since 2009, that number has tripled, according to U.S.
Attorney General Eric Holder.
But questions linger over whether a solitary officer should act as a lone ranger and go in without help.

"The
rule of thumb is never to go in alone. It’s a suicide mission if you go
by yourself everywhere," said Texas-based security consultant Chris
Grollnek, a former police officer and Marine who now trains businesses
and other organizations how to respond to active shooters.
The
push toward faster responses grew out of the Columbine attack. When that
massacre began, a school security officer was on the scene within
minutes, but police waited outside for about 40 minutes before a SWAT
team arrived.
At Columbine, the shooters "had free rein of the
school," said J. Pete Blair, a professor at Texas State University who
helps develop police training. "And that’s where the soul searching
began. When someone’s in there, you really need to get in there and stop
the shooting."
At the Indiana Police Academy, where about 90
percent of Indiana’s police officers — including Elkhart’s — are
trained, rookie officers receive classroom instruction on active
shootings. Officers with a year or more of experience can opt for more
advanced training that includes a mock scenario at a vacant school
building.
Lone officers are trained to "go straight in" with a
protective vest if possible and approach the sound of shooting
stealthily, using as much cover as possible, said Capt. David Younce,
who handles such training at the academy in Plainfield, just west of
Indianapolis.
"There’s no fine line that says you have to wait for backup," Younce said.
While the ideal tactic is to gather a team of four or five officers, that isn’t always possible, Blair
said.
Even stopping to help victims is out of the question.
"If
we stop and try to treat and help every person, we’re losing seconds
where seconds can cost lives," Indiana State Police Sgt. Trent Smith
said.
Smith said the Elkhart officers followed that protocol.
"They went in in a professional pattern and strategically cleared that store in a matter of
seconds," Smith said.
Ultimately, the first officer on the scene must pick the best course of action to prevent deaths.
"Our
goal is to get in there and stop that aggressive act, whatever it is or
whatever that person is doing, absolutely as fast as possible," Smith
said. "We don’t wait to take the time for other people to be backup."
___
Associated Press Writer Tom Coyne in South Bend contributed to this report.
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