TSA officer bled for 33 minutes in LAX shooting

[Jesus Malverde]

An airport security officer lay helplessly bleeding after a gunman opened fire at Los Angeles International Airport as paramedics waited 150 yards away because police had not declared the terminal safe to enter, according to two law enforcement officials.

It would be 33 minutes before Transportation Security Administration Officer Gerardo Hernandez, who was about 20 feet from an exit, would be wheeled out by police to an ambulance, said the officials, who were briefed on the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still ongoing into the Nov. 1 shooting.

For all but five of those minutes, there was no threat from the suspected gunman — he had been shot and was in custody, they said.

While it's not known when Hernandez died or if immediate medical attention could have saved his life, officials are examining what conversations took place between police and fire commanders to determine when it was safe enough to enter and whether paramedics could have gone into the terminal earlier, one of the officials said.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/TSA-officer-bled-for-33-minutes-in-LAX-shooting-4984739.php

[RC]

1. This is what happens when you let paranoia run the show.

Everyone was concentrating on the shooter(s) and no one on any wounded.
No one was coordinating communications between agencies. Why? Isn't there any cooperation between agencies here?
33 minutes and 20 feet from an exit? There is not much of an excuse for not even trying to get that guy to safety. Do only cops and security have bullet proof vests/equipment and shields? What are all the drills for?

Yeah, let's see what we can do to get the body count up, so we can sensationalize this TERRORIST ATTACK!!!!1!!!11 At the airport, no less!

[Jesus Malverde]

3. To me this goes to the lockdown mentality in these shootings where the police establish a

perimeter and wait for SWAT. Meanwhile the killers are running amok and aid is unavailable.

This training and mentality comes from war zones and not agencies that are meant to secure civilians.

[RC]

5. That makes sense.

Especially since more and more of the public are being treated as suspected enemy.

[Jesus Malverde]

6. and understandably the cops want to go home at the end of the day.

so hunkering down and waiting for the trained SWAT killers is attractive.

[Gormy Cuss]

2. How horrible.

The difference may have meant his life.

[Blue_Tires]

4. Rightly or wrongly, maybe he was just assumed to be dead

and to be fair, there was the expected amount of confused chaos once people scattered (many of them fled outside to the ramp which by itself could have made the tragedy even worse)...

And of course there was the inevitable witness accounts of 50 'suspicious' people being seen in every part of the airport from the farthest parking lot to the controller tower....

But yeah, I'm pretty sure a suit is coming for the lack of coordination...Sadly, the TSA's budget will probably double next year, just so these uncoordinated events won't happen anymore

[dickthegrouch]

7. Even the Romans had "tortoises"

Last edited Fri Nov 15, 2013, 06:09 PM - Edit history (1)

Hard skins of shields used to protect the phalanx of troops moving underneath.

I'm sure some enterprising MIC developer could build such a thing with a Kevlar skin and a stretcher slung underneath to carry out an injured person, needing 6 or so people to carry it.
(Consider this proof of prior art for my patent application in case no one else has).

(Title line edited to use the correct animal)