Local opinion: The real heroes are the first responders who deserve our highest praise

Last week, Tucson woke up to the awful news and jarring description of a mass casualty event downtown. What immediately followed were the usual self-serving comments from our local leaders seeking to parlay this event into advancing their individual causes. Mayor Romero blamed gun laws. Then, County Attorney Conover praised by name her Deputy Attorneys who were required to respond to the scene. This was followed by local downtown businesses who lauded the lack of police presence. All of this ignores the individual act of a lone TPD officer who neutralized the horrible threat, perhaps preventing more catastrophic injuries.

Officer Tanner Wolverton was part of a TPD deployment that provides police presence downtown on the weekends and special holidays. Officer Wolverton was in full uniform with several officers positioned several hundred feet from Empire Pizza when he suddenly heard rapid gunfire close by. He also saw muzzle flashes from a gun indicating the shooter was aiming into a crowd. While still processing this information, Officer Wolverton then observed the shooter running right at him and his fellow officers. Officer Wolverton unholstered, activated his body-worn camera, and shot once at the shooter, ending the threat immediately. The officers then transitioned into providing life-saving medical care to the shooter after securing his gun.

This is not about national or local issues or the bravery of our county attorney’s office. This is about the proud members of the Tucson Police officers, who reacted pursuant to their training.

I responded with my critical incident team of Natasha Wrae and Suzanne Carlstedt, as we do with all officer-involved shootings. As is the case in all critical incidents, the TPD main station was filled with professionals who rally in the middle of the night to support the officers involved. The Tucson Police Officers Association is there to support the officers and their families, the Behavioral Science unit is there also in support, and the TPD Commanders are there to provide support to both the officers and those investigating the officers’ actions and those of the suspect. I can personally relate to all Tucson citizens that there is a lot going on behind the scenes for which little credit is ever given, or ever asked for.

In meeting and talking with Officer Wolverton, we realized that this shooting stood out from the hundreds of shootings we have handled in the past. As Officer Wolverton described his response, we were amazed at his series of actions and decisions which he made instinctively. There was no time to formulate a plan as this entire event began and ended in mere seconds.

First, Officer Wolverton shot his firearm only once. Usually police officers fire multiple times when forced to deal with a deadly threat to themselves or others. In this case, with a precarious backdrop of crowded streets, Officer Wolverton shot once, assessed that the threat had been neutralized, holstered his firearm, and began rendering aid. Officer Wolverton also had the wherewithal to activate his body-worn camera. These decisions were made in a matter of seconds. Officer Wolverton also retrieved the shooter’s gun, which ended up in the middle of the crowded street, thus securing key evidence and preventing it from disappearing in the crowd.

Of course, Officer Wolverton should receive high praise for his actions. But in truth, any of the officers present on scene, and for that matter any TPD officer, would have taken the same actions. Having worked with over 90 law enforcement agencies across the state, I can say that TPD is the most well-trained and professional agency in the state. Unfortunately, what is widely reported in the media are the bad actions of agencies involved in questionable officer-involved shootings, most notably those involving ICE. I join in criticizing these ICE shootings by federal agents who are not adequately trained. There also is an ongoing trend of our local officials second-guessing and criticizing our own local law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, I would not doubt that at some point a locally elected official will attempt to criticize in part TPD or any of the officers involved.

But in this case, let’s all take a moment and acknowledge the actions of a lone officer who quickly acted per his training and ended what could have resulted in more than the nine present victims. Let’s also recognize and thank the real heroes. The quick response of all TPD officers on the scene who can be seen running toward the potential threat to help the multiple victims. Finally, let’s recognize and thank the adjoining law enforcement agencies who responded, the Tucson Fire Department who descended on the scene providing care, and the TPD civilian officers who maintained scene security and provided assistance to the other on-scene officers. All of them are the real heroes who provide us safety and security every day we live and work in Tucson.