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It Took Only Four Minutes For Cops To Distract And Confront Santa Fe School Shooter

REUTERS

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Julia Cohen Reporter
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Police officers were on the scene and working to take down the Santa Fe school shooter within four minutes, preventing further fatalities and setting an example for how to handle future attacks.

The key to stopping the shooter was keeping the area contained and the attacker engaged, according to Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset.

“I think they’re heroes,” the sheriff told reporters in Texas.

When the gunman tried to shoot at police, officers strategically fired back, leading to his surrender, The New York Times reported Monday. Suspect Dimitrios Pagourtzis is in police custody and was charged with capital murder.

Officials believe that none of the individuals killed in the attack were shot by law enforcement. One law enforcement officer, John Barnes, was struck during the attack, flatlining twice and retaining serious injuries. (RELATED: 10 Dead, 10 Wounded In Shooting At Texas High School, Sheriff Confirms)

The handling of the Texas attack is being hailed as a blueprint for how to respond to a school shooting. This is in stark contrast to Parkland Deputy Scot Peterson’s response during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting in February, when the deputy failed to enter the school until the shooting was over. Peterson reported on his radio that the shots “could be firecrackers,” according to the Sun Sentinel. Peterson later resigned.

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