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Security Footage Captures Unbelievable Moment Officers Shoot Through Glass To Subdue Criminal

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A gunman who killed four people in an office building in Cincinnati was subdued by police who had to shoot through glass to reach him. Now, the security footage of the takedown has been released.

According to WLWT-TV, 29-year-old gunman Omar Enrique Santa Perez entered the Fifth Third Center Thursday and started shooting indiscriminately. He ended up claiming three lives.

However, it was over less than five minutes after it began, all thanks to some very brave police officers.

As a crowd of people ran away from the sound of gunfire, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports, “four police officers ran toward the danger. They spotted Santa in the lobby and fired through the plate glass windows and doors as he turned the gun on them.”

The camera footage from the lobby of the Fifth Third Center as well as bodycam footage from the police officers was released on Friday at a press conference in which city officials praised their bravery.

“The heroism of these officers is truly remarkable,” Mayor John Cranley said at the press conference.

Police saved lives, and we owe them all a huge debt of gratitude.”

“You could see in the video … the guy is shooting at the cops,” Cranley added. “(You can see) them not being afraid and engaging and ending it.”

It only took four minutes and 28 seconds from the first shot until the officers had neutralized the shooter, according to Police Chief Eliot Isaac.

Do you think these police officers are heroes?

Click here to view the footage, which we must warn you is graphic. Viewer discretion is advised. 

“The four officers who fired shots are Jennifer Chilton, on the force since 2008; Antonio Etter, since 2002; Eric Kaminsky, since 1997; and Gregory Toyeas, since 1990,” the Enquirer reported.

Jeff Butler, police captain and training section commander, said that training scenarios involving mass shootings were part of what allowed them to neutralize the threat so quickly.

Butler said that the training was crafted after mass shootings in San Bernardino, California, and Orlando, Florida, using lessons learned from those tragedies.

“(The officers) know their training provides them the opportunity to resolve a situation successfully,” Butler told the Enquirer. “When they go through that door, it’s never cookie-cutter. We train them to expect the unexpected.”

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The video is clear: These men and women managed to turn what could have been an enormous tragedy into something that was over quickly.

The mayor is right — their heroism is truly remarkable. They deserve our respect.

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C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture




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