Why the Publix Massacre Proves Prevention Not "Run Hide Fight" is the Best Solution
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw reports that the 55 year old man who walked up to a one year old baby and shot him dead as he sat in his kiddie cart, killed his grandmother and then turned the gun on himself inside a Publix Supermarket leaked violent intent.
Unfortunately, as we have seen time and time again including when the Brown family of Littleton, Colorado noted, then reported the notorious Columbine killers' leakage of violent intent, these pre-attack behaviors appear to have been ignored.
Sheriff Bradshaw describes public clues of impending doom by the future shooter to include facebook posts. According to Sheriff Bradshaw "“He (the shooter) has said, ‘I want to kill people and children.’"
That's exactly what he did inside a popular supermarket as innocent people worked and others shopped on Thursday morning, June 10, 2021.
June 10, 2021 Photo of the aftermath at the Publix in Royal Palm Beach courtesy of the Palm Beach Post
Sheriff Bradshaw believes those close to the shooter could have taken steps to prevent this tragedy, knowing he had a gun and apparently visible mental health issues plus many personal problems the WVPI reported about him in Thursday's blog post.
According to Sheriff Bradshaw: “We have the red flag law where we can take the firearm once we find the people. So that’s how this could have been prevented. If somebody would have let us know who he is, we would have contacted him, see if he’s got a gun, get him into mental health, and you wouldn’t have two people dead. That’s how it’s supposed to work. And that’s how it can work if people will only get involved..."
The WVPI believes that once an active shooter is inside the workplace, it is too late to avoid tragedy. Active shooter training and "run hide fight" protocols for many go out the window once they are faced with a real - not simulated - active shooter episode.
One employee reported that she was trained to hide in a meat locker if a shooter was ever on the loose in the store. This employee however opted instead to run out the back door and get out of the situation.
Prevention is the only solution. For more information on leakage of violent intent and the important role it plays in preventing tragedies, go here:
In the following video, Sheriff Bradshaw discuss how the Publix tragedy might have been prevented:
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