US police: outlaws

Chapter 56: Wrong Command

Three days passed quickly, and Lee Ethan was unsure whether the FBI would continue to monitor him, so he became much more cautious.

Roddy Elementary School in Pomona, a city next to Clermont.

The students were waiting for the school bell to ring when a car suddenly rushed into the school grounds from behind and crashed into a tree.

"Damn it."

The collision rendered the vehicle unable to start and also attracted the attention of those nearby.

The young man got out of the car with a slightly crazy look on his face. When two people tried to help him, he immediately raised his semi-automatic rifle and opened fire.

"Sir, are you alright...?"

"Bang bang bang bang"

One person collapsed to the ground, while the other fled.

"He has a gun, run!"

"Hahaha."

Ignoring the man lying on the ground, whose life was hanging in the balance, the man looked at the elementary school not far away, picked up his large backpack from the car, and rushed toward his destination.

.

The gunshots caught the attention of a female teacher, who hurriedly closed the door and hid in a corner storage room.

Suddenly, the door, which should have been locked, was pushed open, and the gunman walked in easily.

The gunman was wearing a tactical vest and carrying a semi-automatic rifle.

The gunman glanced at the gate and smiled. The electronic lock had been broken for days and the school still hadn't fixed it.

The gunman swaggered into a classroom. This type of room consisted of two classrooms connected together. Each class had about 20 students, so two classrooms would have 40 students.

The female teacher who was giving a lecture was also stunned for a moment until she realized that the person who came was carrying a weapon.

"Hello, children."

"Run!"

.

Three minutes later, seven NYPD officers who had received the emergency call entered through the west gate. Among them was the acting chief of the NYPD, Dylan Bell. As a city of 100,000 people, it has its own NYPD.

Logically, as the highest-ranking officer at the time, Dylan Bell should have been in charge of on-site command.

However, for this police superintendent who had always worked in an office, directing police attacks was a very troublesome job. He would have to take the blame for any mistakes, and more importantly, he himself lacked confidence.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have come."

Just then, four police officers appeared across the corridor. They were school district police officers, who were specifically responsible for protecting the school and the surrounding area. Their numbers usually did not exceed 10.

At that moment, Dylan Bell breathed a sigh of relief. Despite having the highest rank, according to the rules, the school district police chief was in command.

"Quickly, you guys go and evacuate the other students. This place is the responsibility of the school district police."

"Yes."

Just as school district superintendent Cole Harris was about to order his men to attack, more than a dozen bullets were suddenly fired from inside the door, one of which grazed Cole Harris's face.

At that moment, the four police officers scrambled to the city police side. Cole Harris touched his head, still shaken, relieved that he hadn't been hit. At that moment, he had no intention of attacking.

Not only are they afraid of death, but they are also afraid of taking responsibility.

There's only one idea now: get more specialized people to handle this, like SWAT teams, or border police—those border patrol teams that frequently deal with drug traffickers are really tough.

(Pomona is more than 100 kilometers from the border.)

Other police officers, including state troopers, quickly arrived at the scene.

One of the subordinates, seeing his boss constantly on the phone, couldn't help but step forward and ask what was wrong.

"Chief, what's our next move? Should we launch an attack?"

Cole Harris interrupted.

"The gunman has stopped moving, shifting from an active state to a defensive one, and no longer poses a life-threatening threat to others."

"..."

In the end, the subordinate stopped saying anything. After all, it was an order from their superior, and if he acted on his own and something went wrong, he would be held responsible.

A standoff will shift the priority of action from immediate attack to encirclement and negotiation, and waiting for an opportunity.

Cole Harris was equally panicked, so he picked up his phone and dialed the dispatch center.

"The gunman locked the door. Please bring lock-picking tools."

The police officers standing by had nothing to say and could only silently stand guard on both sides of the corridor, just like their colleagues.

.....

Police car 9A55 sped past on the highway; it was Li Yisen and his companion who were rushing to the neighboring city as backup. In fact, there were more than 20 Clermont police officers who came to provide support.

Twenty minutes later, Ethan and Evelyn arrived at the school gate, only to be stunned by what they saw.

Evelyn asked.

"There are way too many people. Are there some gunmen?"

Lee Ethan was also a bit confused. There were 300 police officers here, and 40 minutes had passed since the incident. Why hadn't they stormed in yet? Wasn't it said that the gunman had already opened fire on the students?

Shooting means there are wounded, and if there are wounded, of course we should immediately launch an attack.

Moreover, a large number of parents had gathered outside the cordon. After 40 minutes without any results, the parents tried to cross the cordon to rescue the person, but were intercepted by the police and even arrested by pinning them to the ground.

Instead of staying in the rear as support, Li Yisen and his team came to the school and waited there, just like the other police officers.

This time, the police were fully armed.

The NIJ Level 6 bulletproof shield can withstand rifle bullets.

Level 3 body armor, tactical vest, and an M4A1 carbine.

It should be said that most of the police officers who were at the school at that time were armed with submachine guns and rifles, totaling more than a hundred.

Suddenly, a police officer tried to cross the cordon, but was stopped by other officers.

"My wife is a teacher at the school, and she is injured. I want to save her."

"Ike, I know, but you can't do anything reckless."

The police officer named Ike was disarmed by his colleagues and could only stand helplessly on the periphery, waiting for the experts to arrive at some unknown time.

Li Yisen gradually became irritated, and 10 minutes passed like this.

Evelyn tugged at her partner's clothes.

"Why haven't you broken through yet? The wounded won't last much longer."

"Follow orders."

Soon, some police officers became impatient.

"Sir, we can't wait any longer, we need to go in."

"I can't believe it," Cole Harris said impatiently.

"The gunman is not actively firing; he is on standby."

Another person also tried to persuade him.

"But someone is injured, we..."

Cole Harris interrupted.

"Please stand by."

"..."

Time passed second by second, and Li Yisen suddenly heard gunshots coming from inside the classroom. Everyone stirred for a moment but did not move.

Next, Cole Harris picked up the walkie-talkie and spoke to the dispatch center.

"New intelligence?"

"There was a child in the room who called the police, claiming that at least nine people were still alive, but it seems that the gunman discovered him and made the call."

"I understand. How much longer until the SWAT team and border patrol arrive?"

"The SWAT team takes 20 minutes, and the border patrol team takes 17 minutes."

"I see."

Cole Harris hung up the radio but still didn't direct the attack, as if he had to wait for reinforcements.

Lee Yisen first frowned, but eventually decided to step forward and negotiate. Others may not have heard the conversation, but his hearing was crystal clear.

"Was that last shot another attack by the gunman?"