Police’s ‘astonishing’ response to Nashville shooting leaves even skeptical media in ‘awe’

Police and law enforcement have been the subject of a beating in the national media in recent years, with headlines and discussions dominated by stories such as shootings involving officers, the murder of George Floyd , the fatal beating of Tire Nichols and the maligned response to the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas.

So when police quickly responded and killed the mass shooter at the Covenant School this week, the media praise was stellar.

“These officers, in essence, have resurrected the profession,” Fox News contributor and former homicide detective Ted Williams told Fox News Digital. “You can see by watching the video that these Nashville officers are well trained, well prepared and putting their own lives on the line to bring this killer to justice.”

“That may be the keystone that puts the police in a different light than what we saw with the George Floyd case, where you had a police officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck,” Williams said. . “What we saw in Nashville is what happens in this country where police officers and the work they do are [often] not seen by the public… we could see the police act quickly to bring down this shooter. So I’m thrilled that law enforcement officers are getting the recognition they so deserve.”

The Nashville police officers’ swift response to the shooting at the private Christian academy drew praise and gratitude from members of the mainstream and liberal media, who described the cops as “heroes”, with one network anchor saying that she was “intimidated”.

Agents Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo neutralized the killer, who had already murdered six people, including three children.

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CBS News anchor Gayle King interrupted CBS Mornings’ coverage of the shooting on Wednesday to congratulate the two officers who were shown in “thrilling” body camera footage.

“I think we have to say something about these police officers,” King said. “There’s been so much negativity about cops in the news and just on the air. These two cops, Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo — if you haven’t watched that three-minute video that’s been posted, it’s is captivating.”

“My heart started pounding because these guys clearly had a system. As soon as they heard gunshots, they ran towards the gunshots… There was no hesitation, knowing that their lives were in danger, and I think the majority of the police act like those two.”

She added, “And it shows the important work they do. I’m impressed.”

“That’s courage,” said fellow CBS host Tony Dokoupil.

Retired Seattle Police Chief and MSNBC law enforcement analyst Carmen Best described the department’s quick response as “the complete opposite” of the response to the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde. Although the situations had key differences, Uvalde police were heavily criticized for not directly confronting the killer there for over an hour.

“We saw officers immediately responding to the scene, setting up contact teams, entering the building – by the way, under a deluge of bullets coming out of the school,” Best said. “They walked through and checked the school. When they heard where the gunshots were coming from, [they] immediately went to that location and finally ended the threat.”

CBS anchor Gayle King said she was “intimidated” by Nashville police. (Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images)

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MSNBC anchor Jose Diaz-Balart agreed with the retired law enforcement officer’s assessment that Nashville’s response was much faster than the police response to Uvalde.

“They didn’t stop. They went right after their target,” he said.

While covering the shooting on Tuesday, CNN reporter Amara Walker released the body camera footage showing the cops taking out the killer, and said the officers “are truly heroes.”

During NBC Nightly News’ coverage of the shooting on Tuesday night, anchor Lester Holt praised the officer’s quick response. He first described their heroism, stating that “the first officers to respond braved the gunfire, entered the school and advanced from room to room, locating and killing the suspect”.

Later in NBC’s coverage, he commented that it was “amazing how quickly these officers got into this school.”

Even satire websites got in on the action; Right-wing Babylon Bee has published a humorous article about Vladimir Putin’s surrender during the Ukrainian War after Nashville police were dropped into the dispute.

Coupled with a spike in violent crime, policing has been under the microscope like never before in recent memory over the past decade, leading to officers leaving the profession in unprecedented numbers. As the horrific tragedy in Nashville overshadows their heroism, the incident was a rare moment of positivity for police.

Officer Rex Engelbert, third from the left, was among a group of Center Compound officers who were awarded a ‘Central Compound Commander’s Coin’ last week for their hard work and dedication to precision policing”. (Nashville Metro Police Department)

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Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” ​​Tuesday and recounted the bravery of police officers.

“They trained for this. And that moment came, and they didn’t hesitate at all,” he said.

ABC News contributor John Cohen, a veteran police training expert, said police did “exactly what we hope those who don the badge will do when faced with a dangerous situation like a active shooter”.

“Whenever the cops get it wrong we never hear the end of it. Sometimes rightly so. But let’s just make sure the heroic actions of @MNPDNashville are spoken about just as loudly,” Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy tweeted. “Running into an active shooter situation without hesitation is a hero. Thanks to all the officers who risked their lives.”

Former FBI agent James Gagliano called the police performance a model for the rest of the country.

“The police response to a deadly active shooter in Nashville was an absolute ‘textbook example’ of how law enforcement should act quickly and competently to interdict wrongdoers who seek to murder innocent people,” a Gagliano told Fox News Digital. “Hopefully this will serve as a blueprint for all future response efforts and dampen the activist ‘noise’ of those who continually seek to demonize, smear and defund our heroic first responders.”

National Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police Joe Gamaldi called the public support ‘very encouraging’ and also added a reminder to those who still support the so-called defunding of the police, a favorite project of the extreme left which has

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“It was a stark reminder to the public of the courage of the brave men and women of law enforcement. That we will gladly run into the gunfire, into danger, to protect our communities,” he said. at Fox News Digital. “This event also reminded all the fools who advocate defunding the police or ‘redirecting’ funds from the police department, that they advocate cutting the heroic training, equipment and officers who saved countless lives.”

Fox News’ Brian Flood and Cortney O’Brien contributed to this report.