Leave the Wounded

As the initial responders to an active shooter the primary duty is the stop the active shooter. That may be by shooting them, taking them into custody, or even driving them to ground so that the incident becomes a barricaded suspect. Stopping the shooter means that the initial responders must focus on finding the shooter and taking rapid action to stop his violent actions.

That means that the team must bypass locations where additional suspects may be hiding as they move towards the sound of gunfire. It also means the team cannot stop to render aid to victims or even downed officers. This certainly flies in the face of what we have been trained to do in normal situations. You have to focus on the goal of stopping the active shooter to prevent more victims from being created.

How can you justify leaving wounded people, perhaps to die? You have to stop the active shooter. If the initial responders stop to treat wounded, then as they are doing that, other wounded or dead will be created. It is the job of the secondary responders to aid the injured. Leave the paramedics or additional police the job of treating the wounded, go for the shooter; that's what the SGT Says.