In coming days and weeks, we’ll feature a number of columns and commentary about the atrocious attack on two Las Vegas police officers at a pizza parlor on Sunday morning.
Upon hearing of the attack, my mind immediately went to Lakewood (Washington), in part because just days before this incident, I’d spent quality time getting to know and befriend Chief Bret Farrar, who continues to mourn the loss of his four officers that day in late November 2009.
We will examine the similarities — and the ramifications of same — between the LPD and LVMPD incidents.
We’ll look at the issue apparently at the heart of this most recent attack on law enforcement officers — vehement anti-government sentiment and how police tend to bear the brunt of such venom. Today I spent a half hour on the phone being interviewed by a reporter writing his own article on this very topic.
In this space, however, I want to offer a very simple reminder, taught tragically to us by 31-year-old Las Vegas man who was also killed on Sunday.
Check your six.
After murdering LVMPD Officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo — both of whom were husbands and fathers — the two attackers stormed into a nearby Wal-Mart.
According to reports, the male assailant fired a shot into the air, attracting the attention of Joseph Wilcox, a concealed carry permit holder.
When Wilcox approached the male suspect, he was apparently unaware of the association between the male and female — both self-described white supremacists who routinely dressed up as comic book characters and posted anti-government rants to Facebook and YouTube.
As Wilcox confronted the male gunman, the female attacked him from behind, firing several shots into the responding citizen Sheepdog — killing him. You’ll notice neither assailant is named in this space. I won’t contribute to their “fame.”
I don’t know what kind of tactical training Wilcox had undertaken in his life. Perhaps it was plenty, but insufficent in the end to keep him safe that day.
I do know that even when I train (most frequently, with with police officers), I sometimes see people on the line not going through the entire tactical enterprise, including scanning and breathing. That scan is not merely to break up any tunnel vision acquired during the firefight. It’s about looking for additional threats — from above, below, and all the way behind you. Twice.
Most people I train with at the range are absolutely good to go, but every so often I come across someone who makes me scratch my head a little bit: “Why’s he not taking this seriously?”
Whether you’re on-duty or off-duty, whether you’re a sworn LEO or a citizen Sheepdog, any tactical situation is a full 360 in the horizontal and vertical planes. Like checking your firearm to ensure it is cleared before you clean it, you’re not looking for the absence of something. You’re looking for the presence of it. Twice.
You know this, but the reminder is clear. His name is Joseph Wilcox. May he, as well as Officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo, rest in peace.
We’ll take it from here, brothers.
