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Shooting reported at Southcenter Mall

04:38 PM PST on Saturday, November 22, 2008

By KING5.com Staff

TUKWILA, Wash. – A shooting has occurred at the Westfield Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Wash.

Shoppers are being evacuated from the mall. 

In a phone interview with KING 5 News, shopper Laura Scarcella said she was in Macy's and the store was in lock down. She heard an announcement over the PA system that the mall was being closed. She heard over the PA system that three people were in custody, but that has not been confirmed.

A KING 5 reporter at the scene described the mall as "chaotic."

No.  Kidding. 

I'll write on this as it develops but the first thing I want to know is who the hell gave Macy's the authority to lock people in their store?

An aside, sorta: I did a security survey on local malls several years back and found all kinds of problems that could lead to this type of attack and "chaos".  Although this particular mall was not requested to be part of the survey, I included it just so I could find out if the problems I'd found at the other two malls were peculiar to those malls or representative of mall security in general.

I found that all the malls surveyed had the same deficiencies.  And these demerits were and are part of a conscious decision and on-going plan perpetrated by security industry "experts" and providers to get the most money they can from customers while rendering protective service primarily designed to minimize the litigation profile of their individual security companies.  

Take a look here.  And then here.  

I'll be back later.

Okay, I'm back.  Here's the latest on the shooting.

I was listening to the radio on the way home tonight as the KTTH AM radio host interviewed the reporter who was first to call in from the mall with the story.  She was in one of the smaller stores when she heard what turned out to be shots.  A couple things struck me: she said she saw a handicapped stall in one of the ladies room that had eight screaming girls in it.  And, management at the store she was in actually let her and the other shoppers there with her flee out the back door into the mall parking lot. 

Hmmm.

Why would anyone run into a little tiny restroom?  Once inside, why would anyone try to "hide" in a stall?  Perched there, why would anyone scream?

I'll just say anyone who would do that is fearful, to be polite,  and leave it at that.

Other thoughts:

If you hear what may be shots inside the mall, do not run down the large halls towards the exits unless you can see that the exit doorways are clear of people with guns.  Why?  Classic hammer and anvil attack: shooters at one end drive victims toward a position where even more shooters are, in this case, main exit doors. Believe it or not, this would be very easy for terrorists or gangstas to pull off.

So, head out of the hallways and into the stores.  From there, head for the back doors.  All stores have exit doors in the back that either go straight outside or to a hallway that takes you outside.  If employees try to tell you to get out or that you can't go out their back doors, ignore 'em.  Go!

If you're armed and decide to see if you can help, remember that it's entirely your decision, not mine.  And, you're responsible for your actions.

It may be best to try your shot(s) from behind cover, if you can find it, that lets you shoot from a low position, so your bullet(s) are rising as they strike the shooter.   This is so, if you miss or the bullet(s) pass through the shooter, they will continue up, more likely to miss bystanders and go into the ceiling.  If there's an upper level into which errant shots could fly, well that's another decision you have to make.  Just try to take the best shot(s) that will

1. Stop the attack and
2. Miss as many good guys as possible

Remember to move after you fire, especially if you're shooting from a darkened spot.  The muzzle flash from your gun will give away your position and draw fire from bad guys.  Try to pick the spot you'll take your second shots from before you take your first shots, if the circumstances and surroundings permit such a tactic. 

If you're sure you're looking at the shooter, you have absolutely no legal or moral responsibility to offer a warning or a command such as, Stop or I'll shoot. The shooter has demonstrated his intent and capability and you can just shoot him, even in the back if that's the shot you get.

But, if you absolutely feel you have to be fair and offer a warning, do not say:

• Don't make me shoot you.
  • This tells the shooter you're not committed and gives him at least 1.5 seconds to get a shot off at you, dummy.  
• If you move, I'll kill you.
  • If you say this and the dirt-bag lives, the first question from the shooter's attorney at your civil trial will be, Why did you want to kill my client?

If you are going to issue commands, make them loud, clear and constant.  You want the shooter to hear you, you want him to understand what you're telling him to do and you want to have him paying attention to your screaming, distracted from his plan, as opposed to wondering what the hell you're whispering to him and thinking how much he's going to enjoy killing you.

While pointing your weapon at the shooter, SHOUT:

DROP THE GUN. DROP THE GUN. DROP THE GUN. DROP THE GUN... until he drops the gun.

Then...

GET ON THE GROUND.  GET ON THE GROUND. GET ON THE GROUND... until he gets on the ground.

Don't say, If you move, I'll kill you.  I already said that.  In addition to the line of questioning his attorney will be able to pursue, you need to know that it's not up to you if he dies.  It's up to him.  If he put himself in this position, then he had to know beforehand that he might die as a result, and if you shoot him it's therefore his fault for creating the situation in the first place. It's his fault if he dies, not yours.

Be alert for second a/o third shooters.  If you're outgunned, it may be best to just take cover and defend yourself and those who may be around you.

Depending on a variety of circumstances, one bullet in the center of the bad guy's chest might not be enough to end his attack.  Let me say again; you're not shooting to kill anyone.  You are shooting to stop the attacker from attacking, no matter what his weapon, method or tactic ~ you're just trying to stop him.  That's the truth and that's what you need to tell the police later.

To stop the attack, it may be best to put five or six rounds into the shooter's chest and then take a quick look to see how and what's he's doin'. If he's blinking and still standing, I'd empty my mag into him and then do a quick reload while moving laterally.  If he's got a long-gun in his right hand, I'd move to my left because it's harder for him to track me accurately in that direction with a long-gun. If he's got a hand-gun and is shooting with his right hand, I'd move to my right because it's less smooth for him to follow me in that direction once he moves his shooting arm past the center of his chest. 

I'm just sayin' that's what I'd do.

If you have just a little .22, .380, .32, or some such small caliber, short barrel pistol, it would probably be best to just find cover, if you can't get out of the building right away, and prepare to defend yourself.  If the bad guy approaches you in this situation, you may need to shoot him in the face or head because the small caliber bullet with low velocity and little penetration power will probably not go through a winter coat especially if it's leather.

Hey, the holiday shopping season is upon is... be careful out there, unerschrocken.

Churches

Well, we've been saying in professional protection circles for years now that attacks on churches were coming. The rest of you can catch up now ~ they're here. Too many people have thought for way too long that bad-guys would never be mean enough to attack a church. Schools: yes. Malls: yes. Bars: yes. Synagogues: yes. Churches: nope. Churches with schools: nope. Nuh-uh, no way.

Shortly after 9-11-01, I contacted some large churches in my area to try to help those leaders see the coming threat ~ and there was almost no interest in the subject. Be that as it may, I'm going to use the 12-09-07 Colorado shootings, which were planned and carried out by a young man who came to hate Christians, as the self-declared imprimatur by which to offer some suggestions to church leadership.

Was Matthew Murray an anomaly? In a way: yes. But, if you read the right sources, you'll find there are many thousands of  people right here in this country today who hate Christians… oh, and Jews, too.

I'm talking directly to pastors, elders, and lay staff; too many of who are still sitting around believing it'll never happen to their people because "it can't happen here." You need a security team: men and women devoted to protecting your congregation, the innocents who trust you with their souls and, given Colorado and Beslan and a hundred other attacks, their lives.

There should be at least two guards, and probably more, depending on the size of the property, buildings, and congregation. Your security team should be church volunteers under the leadership and instruction of a paid professional, not a pastor who years back paid his way through seminary by being an unarmed security guard or who "has a heart for people."

The hired, dedicated team leader does recon, assessment, intel, prep and training work during the day and protective work when the church has services or class of some sort, but especially on Wednesday and Sunday, when most Christian churches get together. It may be appropriate for him to serve as a bodyguard for senior leaders from time to time.

The team should be church members because they'll be personally accountable for their commitment and performance. They know what and who looks strange, out of place; they know the campus and building layout, the exits and entrances. As people, they're a known quantity; so maybe background checks won't be necessary. They need to be screened, but the most important feature of that screening process is to be sure everyone on the team is willing to take the life of another, withoug hesitation, if that should become necessary.

They should not be in uniform but should wear comfortable, neat, clean clothes with one common, easily-recognizable identifier. I'm not going into detail on that issue here. The guards should be armed with pistols, not revolvers, of their choice, with which they are familiar, comfortable, and well-trained. Personally, I think 9mm DAOs are best, but that's just me.

If you go for security guards from the provider down the street, you'll regret it. Believe me. They won't do background checks to the depth you need on the guards they provide. They'll hire anybody to fill a uniform, give them the minimum state-required training (if your state even requires training), and put them at your site whether you think they're a good fit or not.  Then they'll send you a bill.

Since you're going to have armed guards; that's another reason to not waste your time a/o money on contract guards. As noted in another post, many security companies that offer armed guards will take from you the higher fee associated with that presumed higher degree of safety and then give the guards they send you clear but unwritten orders to not unholster their weapon, no matter what. This is done to avoid the cost of fully and properly training their guards, providing them with reliable weapons of appropriate caliber, the additional insurance premium and licensing costs.

Next time you see an armored car guard, look at the pistol in his or her holster. I'll bet you money it's a standard Smith & Wesson .38 caliber 6-shot revolver loaded with hard-ball ammo. Maybe it's been 'up-graded' with rubber grips, but I can almost guarantee that's what you'll see them carrying. But when's the last time bad-guys robbed an armored car using .38s? Guards risk their lives in those tin cans for around $15 an hour. The customer pays over $20.00 an hour to the guard company and waaaaay too much of it goes to 'overhead'.

If you absolutely have to bring in contract guards, check here as a starter, at Choosing a Security Contractor... then email me.  Check out the Guide to Detecting Surveillance of Jewish Institutions as well, while you're there.

It may not be best to use off-duty cops as they can be called away on duty and therefore not show up, or have to leave. They switch shifts from time to time so there goes the team continuity out the window. Also, they may take on too much responsibility such as "Don't shoot unless I'm there ..." a/o teach your team only what is approved by their department. Vicarious liability laws then become the arbiter of the level of training and preparedness of your team.

There must be a church volunteer-based team. And if you run a church school along with your church, please listen to me: You need armed security. You don't have the right to gamble with the lives of your sheep or your students.

It matters what you do next, especially given this new story.

Lessons from Omaha

You can't wish it away.

Whether it's terrorists or some kid who's sorta lost and wants to inflict his pain on others, the genie's out of the bottle.

Here are some thoughts: If you're on scene at this wanna-be catastrophe, don't trust the news media.

Why?

Reporters said the Omaha shooter had been arrested while he was in fact still inside the mall shooting it up ~ and then himself. No reporter from any station or network knows jack. You listen to the cops who've checked the pulse of the bad guys and can look you in the eye and tell you there is no more threat.

Until these warriors are walking confidently through the mall telling everyone that it's safe, you should probably stay where you are, if circumstances required you to seek cover. I covered this in detail a few posts back so you can cruise on over there for more detail. But remember, if running away from the shooter(s) is your best choice, you should try to get out of the building. Go into one of the smaller stores and go straight through to the back door marked with an Exit sign, out and away. If merchants want to bitch about it, tell them to bring it to the attention of the next cop they see.

Getting out is better than hiding in closets, fitting booths, anywhere that has no way out. You think other bad guys, terrorists or twerps, didn't pay attention to this and other massacres, learning from survivors and cops what to do so they can kill better than the last loser? Trust me, the bad guys are watching. The really bad guys are taking notes. So they know you're hiding behind wooden doors that are hollow or made of flimsy slats. And bullets will slice right through those, into you. Fitting rooms often have no ceilings, and doors that don't go all the way to the floor. Wow; think maybe a pipe bomb could get tossed in there?

Know the laws in your state and municipality that pertain to carrying concealed weapons, specifically handguns. Evidently, Nebraska passed laws in the last few years permitting the carry of concealed firearms. But Omaha deigned to decide for their citizens and declared that the state laws did not apply within their city limits. But wait, there's more. Then they decided it was okay to carry a handgun in Omaha when properly licensed IAW state laws. So, do you think maybe some Omaha folk were confused on what was the most up-to-date interpretation of concealed weapons laws?

I am most certainly not telling you to break any law. But there's a saying that goes: Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six. I think that's pretty much self-explanatory. Fortunately that precept is codified in law in the competing harms doctrine, which you may need to use as a defense if you decide to break a law to protect your life or the life of someone else... just so you are fully aware.  Know the law and make your decision ahead of time. Decision made, prepare and train if that's the path you choose.

Item last: the bad guys went to school on OPD's response, too. Check the story linked above. An Omaha Police Department Sergeant said the whole force was sent to the mall.

Why?

Given Beslan and The Perfect Day, as written of here and elsewhere, it was imprudent for every OPD cop on duty to be sent to the mall ~ unless their patrol sectors were covered. Did mutual aid agreements have deputies and officers from near-by towns screamin' into Omaha to protect the people left unprotected when Omaha's finest launched?

We are at war.

Did the Chief of Police in Omaha have cops from adjacent jurisdictions coming to cover the area left open to attack by the absence of his troops? If there was no cavalry coming over the hill to protect Omaha, then whoever made that call needs to be replaced ASAP, or given a good ass-chewing.

Tactical response to shooters in malls, schools a/o other public places needs to be planned based on the strategy of utterly and immediately destroying the threat to innocents in order to save as many lives as possible. The response must not be planned on the premise that bangs, booms and bullets are bad and that shooters are probably just misunderstood 'yoots' and can be rehabilitated.

Omaha, you need to find out if cops from other cities and counties were covering for your guys. Why? Because it's your butt on the line if there was no coverage, that's why.

Man up, unerschrocken.

Now, this is a great idea.