CNN: "Female Security Guard Hailed as Hero"... "saved 'hundreds of lives'"

www.cnn.com ^ | December 10, 2007 | CNN

[Luke Skyfreeper]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- A Colorado Springs megachurch instituted security precautions after a shooting at a Denver area mission center earlier Sunday, saving "hundreds of lives" at the New Life Church, senior Pastor Brady Boyd said Monday.

A New Life parishioner acting as a security guard shot and killed a gunman who entered the church Sunday afternoon after he had gotten no more than 50 feet inside the building, Boyd said.

...

Boyd said the female security guard was a hero in preventing further bloodshed, rushing to confront the gunman just inside the church.

"She probably saved over a hundred lives," Boyd said of the guard, whom he said is not a law enforcement officer and used her personal weapon.

...

"Hundreds of lives were saved yesterday because of the plan that was put in place," said Boyd, who put the number of people on the church campus at the time as 7,000.

[Centurion2000]

but that is why she was hired. I heard the pastor saying that the guard was there because there was alarm about the shooting near Denver.

Taking on a rifle-armed and armored opponent with nothing more than a pistol takes courage. That's heroism.

Being a professional sports boy or girl is not heroism.

[jagusafr]

“Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends”. She was prepared to lay it down, but made the perp pay with his instead. Good on her.

Colonel, USAFR

[Squantos]

than vs that .........doh !

[Hawthorn]

> the police have not released the shooter’s identity for some reason <

In my opinion, they shouldn’t release the names of the perps in these cases because the main thing the shooters seem to be seeking is “fame.”

[archy]

Darn good thing the lady shooter nailed him!

There are some very well-trained shooters in the CS area, and some VERY nice training facilities...

...The Olympic Shooting Center is the largest indoor shooting facility in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest in the world. The center features 29 50-meter firing points for rifle and pistol shooting, eight 25-meter pistol bays for rapid-fire pistol and women's sports pistol, four 10-meter running target rifle ranges and 72 10-meter air rifle and air pistol fire points....

The Olympic Complex, former home of ENT Air Force Base and the headquarters of the North American Defense Command, officially became USOC administrative headquarters in July 1978. In October 1996 and April 1997, the USOC officially dedicated and opened its new $23.8 million, Phase II facilities-a state-of-the-art sports medicine and sport science center, an athlete center, which includes a dining hall and two residence halls. The USOC is able to provide housing, dining, recreational facilities and other services for up to 557 coaches and athletes at one time on the complex.

And, of course, it's quite possible that she's former USAF from either the CS Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center or the USAF academy, both of which have very well-trained armed guards.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Party pooper.

;)

[Larry Lucido]

In addition to lives saved, this lady singlehandedly DESTROYED any arguments for more gun control arising out of these events, and further laid open the lie of any perceived merit to the concept of “gun free” zones.

[Balata]

I think the days of the public being passive victims is over for shooters in malls, churchs’ or planes.

[saganite]

She followed the old military dictum, move to the sound of the guns. Good for her.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Let’s see how the gun-grabbers try to spin this! This is what we have been saying all along!

[Southack]

"The male rusher may have diverted or divided the perp’s attention just enough to allow the female shooter to get off accurate aimed shots." - Travis McGee

That male hero was doing what a guard dog will do everytime: put the perp on the defensive (if only for a moment).

And that no doubt helped the female hero to do the rest, by God!

[Stonewall Jackson]

All kidding aside, kudos to this courageous woman for placing herself between a deranged killer and seven thousand potential victims.

[mojito]

When the need was most dire, prayers were answered.

[Freedom2specul8]

marked for later

[gracesdad]

“Thank you for that informed, thoughtful, incisive, reasoned contribution to the discussion.”

Let’s try this then.

I assume your comment about the “SWAT” team not moving toward Norris was a reference to cell phone shots showing police behind trees and cars. Some are headed toward the building and some are not.

However, if you had bothered to read the state panel report on what happened, you would know that the first police on the scene were already going into the building at that point and could not be seen in the cell phone shots. The officers not moving toward the building were doing EXACTLY what they were supposed to be doing — surrounding the building so the shooter couldn’t slip out. They knew that others were already inside.

The report makes it clear that the first police on the scene went into the building as quickly as they could. As soon as they were able to open a door, 12 officers went in.

It’s really aggravating to listen to you and others essentially call these officers cowards. As I said before, you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.

[jagusafr]

Now there’s a mental picture! Chuckling...

[Sloth]

Gotta keep the riffraff away from the Stargate.

[wardaddy]

we’ve had this discussion before about dying on your knees or giving it your best shot

[doug from upland]

Amazing. Look at the headline on CNN -