Drug War Violence Hits Tourists in Acapulco

Tourists had to be evacuated as Mexican soldiers and drug cartel outlaws had a major shootout in Acapulco, one of Mexico's most popular tourist spots.

Gunman Opens Fire in Rotterdam Cafe

A gunman has opened fire in a busy cafe in Holland, killing one person and injuring three others, police have said.

The man attacked customers in the premises and then ran outside where he shot at bystanders on the street.

A police spokesman said people outside the cafe wrestled the gunman to the ground and held him until officers arrived.

The motive for the shooting, which happened in the early hours in Rotterdam, is not yet known.
But it may have begun with an argument in the cafe, where a talent contest was taking place.
One person was wounded inside the premises and three people were hit on the street, one fatally, the police spokesman said.

Officers said the man was a 46-year-old resident of the city but gave no further details.

Does Down Economy Increase Crime?

Article here from the Wall Street Journal questioning whether a perceived rise in crime is a result of a faltering economy.

The general take:

"By and large, the studies show that lousy job markets -- particularly for young or unskilled men -- are linked to more thefts. But the connection isn't so plain with violent crimes like murder and rape. That bolsters the theory of a more rational criminal: When the economy flags, people inclined to crime opt for dishonest income; they don't start shooting people."

Deadly India Attacks Showcase Lack of Security

It's finally over after 60 hours.

Just 10 young Muslim men armed with rifles and grenades killed at least 195 people and wounded 295 in one of the deadliest attacks in India's history early Saturday. Among the dead were 18 foreigners, including six Americans.

Early reports are that multiple, well-coordinated attacks were carried out by well-trained terrorists.

As to how they could massacre so many innocent people so quickly -- about the only answer at this point is because they could. There apparently was little or no coordinated security at the tourism sites which bore the brunt of the attacks.

Kansas City mall shooter had a plan to 'cause havoc'

Associated Press
Apr. 30, 2007 02:59 PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A former Target employee who was turned down for a private security license and planned to "cause havoc" was identified Monday as the man suspected of killing two people in a crowded mall parking lot before he was shot by police.

David W. Logsdon, 51, had been stopped by police while driving the car of his next-door neighbor, who police had found dead in her home hours earlier. Police did not say how Patricia Ann Reed, 67, died or if Logsdon was a suspect in her death, but they believed the events were connected.

"David Logsdon had a plan," police chief James Corwin said. "And that plan was that he had been an employee of that Target store and had been turned down for a private security license. His objective was to go to the mall and cause havoc."

Logsdon applied for a private security permit from the police department, but was turned down because he had two outstanding city warrants, police said.

After the officer pulled Logsdon over Sunday, police say he shot the officer in the arm. The officer, whose wound was not life-threatening, returned fire and shattered the window of the gunman's car.

Logsdon drove to the shopping center, fatally shot two people in the parking lot and wounded several others, then went inside the mall where he was killed by police, authorities said. Corwin said bomb squad crews were also called to Logsdon's home Monday after police reported his house had been "booby-trapped with a self-made bomb." Police ordered a voluntary evacuation of the immediate area, a suburban residential area of lower income homes and apartments.

Gunman, 2 others killed in Kansas City shooting

Associated PressApr. 30, 2007 12:00 AM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A gunman shot a police officer then opened fire in a parking lot and a mall Sunday, authorities said. By the time the violence was over, the shooter and two other people were dead.
The gunman was shot to death inside Ward Parkway Center in south Kansas City, police spokesman Tony Sanders said.
He was apparently killed by police gunfire, officials said.
Police said the violence began early Sunday afternoon, when they went to a home to check on a woman relatives hadn't seen for days. The victim was found dead and her car missing, Sanders said.
The car was spotted later in the day by an officer, who pulled the driver over and was shot in the arm, police said. The officer, whose wound was not life-threatening, returned fire.
The car took off and was spotted later at the shopping center. The man fatally shot two people in the parking lot, then went inside the mall and fired more shots, wounding at least two others, Sanders said.
Target employee Caffie Bradshaw, 19, said she was in a break room with two other people when they heard shots. She said co-workers saw a White man with a rifle who was "spraying bullets."

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At this early juncture, it would appear that the criminal was actually stopped by police response. Nice. Although most active shooter scenarios are NOT stopped by the intervention of police officers, it looks like the officers on scene responded quickly. News footage that I saw yesterday showed officers sprinting into the mall. A decidedly different image than other incidents (like Virginia Tech) where officers were taking up defensive positions behind trees and patrol cars.

Copy Cats Coming out After Virginia Tech

Keep your guard up at work. Following highly publicized events, there is always an increase in copy cat threats.

It's already started after Virginia Tech -- an employee at SeaWorld in Orlando threatened to go on a shooting rampage and then, after he was fired, threatened to come back to blow up the park.

Twenty-year-old Gilbert Alexander Garcia admitted that he told a co-worker, "I am going to do what happened at Virginia Tech here at SeaWorld," and that he idolized the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people on April 16, according to an Orange County sheriff's report.

Two hours after Garcia was fired and escorted off SeaWorld premises, a co-worker recorded a phone call with Garcia, who said he was mad about being fired and was "going to blow up SeaWorld."

Garcia, was arrested a few hours later at his home and charged with threatening a place with a destructive device, a felony. Deputies found several baseball bats and a knife in Garcia's car, but no firearms.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that "it can't happen here." Have a plan. If you are a professional, get your plan in place and rehearse.

Dig your well before you are thirsty.

Cho Killed 30 in 9 Minutes

You've heard the numbers before -- most active-shooter scenarios last between 4 and 17 minutes...

According the the Associated Press, initial police estimations are that the Virginia Tech murderer, Cho, killed 30 of his victims in the engineering within nine minutes.

Nine minutes.

Is nine minutes a short time or a long time? Depends on which side of the equation you are on. If you are a campus cop or local constable, then nine minutes is a flash when you have to respond to a confusing and chaotic situation that may be completely across campus. It's impossible for the SWAT team to suit-up and deploy in that time frame.

It's an eternity if you are one of the students trapped in the engineering building. You hear the loud shots ringing out. All of you look at each other, what is that -- gunshots? You are trapped in a classroom that only has one doorway. Do you flee? Do you hide under a desk? Your mind is reeling, what are you supposed to do?

Some witnesses reported several encounters with Cho as he approached, tried the classroom door handle, and returned to shoot into the classroom door. That entire cycle could have happened in just 20 or 30 seconds. Think about how long it must have felt like during that entire massacre. Cho may have fired anywhere from 50 to 170 shots during that time.

Nine minutes and 30 students lay dead.

We've said it before and we'll say it again -- the cops can't save you during an active-shooter scenario. There's just not enough time.

You have to save yourself.

Video from Salt Lake Mall Shooting

Pretty dramatic video from inside the Trolley Square Mall during the shooting rampage:

http://kutv.com/

Look under the story "Heroic Police Officers to be Honored Friday".

The video footage itself does not offer that much to SEE, but it is very interesting to HEAR the the tempo and the amount of shooting during the encounter. Check out the verbal communication between the officers as they move up to confront the psycho with the shotgun.