Allen first responders reflect on mall shooting: One Year Later
ALLEN — On the very day the body camera video from the hero officer in Allen was released last year, CBS News Texas made the decision that night to air the video in full, with no commentary, showing you, exactly what that still unidentified officer saw and heard as he ran directly to the danger with the sole purpose of saving lives that day.
One year later, two first responders who would be among the first to arrive, are the first to open up: About that day, and how it has affected them, as well as their families, what they thought, and felt, the first time they watched that video.
CBS News Texas anchor Doug Dunbar sat down with Fire Division Chief Daniel Williams and Police Lieutenant Kris Wirstrom to talk through that day, both professionally when it came to the response, but also personally.
Williams didn't hold back when he described what he saw in that body camera video. He said what he saw was "Absolute courage, absolute selflessness, to go in there and take care of business and do things the way that we trained on. I couldn't be prouder of our personnel and their response."
Williams said he was among quite a few firefighters who were nearby, attending the funeral of a fellow colleague when their phones all began going off, with messages of a shooting at the outlet mall.
He says word spread quickly, and firefighters got in their vehicles and headed directly to the mall.
Meanwhile, Wirstrom was watch commander that day at the police department. His first inkling something was wrong was the police radio exploding with a number of calls that were hard to understand, but the two words that were clear were "Shooting" and "Outlet mall."
One of the first challenges for all those first responders to get there, in fact, was the mass exodus of scared shoppers and employees. Wirstrom said he ended up abandoning his squad car, and "I grabbed my rifle, some extra magazine, a bottle of water and took off on foot."
It was clear that when Williams recalled his fellow firefighters gearing up to go into a gunfight, versus a firefight, it was a powerful moment to witness and something that clearly hasn't left his memory bank, and likely never will he added.
When it comes to watching the body camera video from a lone officer who chased the gunman that day, Wirstrom reflects on the fact that when officers train for moments like these, it's often done with multiple officers, in what Wirstromcalls "Different fighting formations."
"The protection that ballistic equipment heavy shields provides, and [the lone officer] went and did this with the clothes that were on his back, and nothing else," said Wirstrom. "I think that's the most intense aspect of this video for me."
The conversation gets tougher speaking about the lives they could not save. At the end of the day, first responders are human beings with families of their own.
"It's impossible to not take it home," Williams said. "It's like 4 o'clock in the morning, my wife said I'll keep [the kids] awake for you, and yeah, having them there to get you through that, it's impossible not to take it home."
Wirstrom was just as direct.
"You can't not. It's impossible. I sat in the driveway knowing my wife was going to be in the garage," said Wirstrom. "Of course you do."
May 6, 2023, Allen saw the worst our world has to offer, only to be met with the best Allen has to offer as well. The relationship between Allen Police and Fire which was already strong, now sounds like it is impenetrable.
The greatest hope for both men? That Allen never has to deal with a moment like this ever again.
The reality?
Both police and fire have already taken lessons learned in this response, to train and constantly be at the ready, should it ever happen again.