The Nashville School Shooting

"What exactly are you referring to?"

"Ahem..." Seeing President Jo Yoon-je's hesitation, Taesik told him it was fine and to just tell him the truth.

"Defense has sent over the medium-range air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. I believe they intended to inform you only after the weapon drop tests were completed."

"Hahaha. I shall pretend I know nothing. It seems I’ve been putting too much stress on President Park In-tak regarding the missile development schedule."

During the conversation, the helicopter arrived back at Starlink Aviation. After inspecting the next-generation aircraft and the Royal Wingman, Taesik returned to Seoul.

David, the head of campus police at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, let out a sigh of relief once the students finished their morning arrival. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Following a recent string of incidents where mentally unstable individuals had stormed schools and opened fire, the school had hired a large force of campus police. As the security chief, David had just finished checking the bags of the students arriving in a massive wave alongside his officers, and he was heading toward the security office, his body heavy with fatigue.

As a father of three daughters, David couldn't fathom how anyone could open fire on young students, but he felt a sense of pride in his work whenever he saw the students and parents feeling reassured by his presence. Recently, on the recommendation of the Board of Education, the Nashville private school had piloted a security system recommended by the FBI. David felt that the introduction of this security system—which he heard was made in South Korea—had made his job much easier. Previously, the staff member in charge of CCTV had to watch every screen without a break, but now, the system automatically triggered an alarm whenever an outsider appeared nearby or an unauthorized person entered the school, drastically reducing their workload.

"Charlie, anything special?"

"Are the bag checks for the arriving students finished? There’s no one left except for the parents who crossed the school entrance line."

"Oh, for heaven's sake! I’ll have to warn the parents again. I’ve told them so many times not to cross the warning line, yet some people just don't listen..."

"Still, it's much more comfortable than before. Isn't it better to have the system trigger an alarm rather than having to verify everything with our own eyes, allowing for immediate response?"

"I’ve only ever heard people say that cutting-edge technology is great... but experiencing it firsthand, I finally understand why my friends working in Silicon Valley make so much money."

"David! I guess you didn't know. I heard that the security system we applied this time wasn't developed in Silicon Valley, but in South Korea."

"Is that so...? Well, wherever it's from, it's enough that it makes our lives easier. Those Korean guys must have made a decent buck."

Exchanging lighthearted banter, David sat at his desk to quickly process the backlog of paperwork. He picked up the pace because he had to rotate with his colleagues currently on external patrol after finishing his administrative duties. Charlie, in charge of the CCTV, began humming a tune while watching the quiet school. David began to hum along to the song he recognized, and the two shared a laugh, their faces bright with high spirits.

At that moment, the security system blared a loud, frantic alarm, and the screen zoomed in.

The two men, startled by the alarm, turned back to the CCTV screen. The footage showed a white youth, who appeared to have just stepped out of a car, approaching the school with something slung over his shoulder and what looked like a handgun in his hand. The security system highlighted the unidentified man in a red box and displayed the warning.

David immediately grabbed the radio on his chest. "An unidentified male armed with two rifles and a handgun is approaching from the rear gate of the school. I repeat..."

He rushed out of the security office, shouting, "Charlie! Call for police support! Our firepower isn't enough to stop him! And hit the emergency bell to evacuate the students!"

Charlie pressed the emergency bell in the security office, and the school was instantly filled with the blaring sound. Teachers, caught in the middle of class, quickly locked their classroom doors and gathered the students into corners hidden from the windows. The young students, startled by the loud alarm, began to cry, and the teachers gathered the children into their arms, calming them by saying that Mr. David would come to save them.

As David moved toward the rear gate, he radioed his colleagues at the front gate and those on patrol. "I’m going to approach the rear gate and lock the fire doors, so you guys approach from both sides! And get the rifles from the armory!"

Running breathlessly toward the rear gate, he spotted some teachers wandering in the hallway and shouted, "An unidentified man is approaching with weapons! Lock the classroom doors and wait inside!"

David left the student evacuation to the teachers and sprinted down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hallway, hoping to arrive before the stranger could open the rear gate.

"Charlie! Where is the suspect's current location?"

"He's pacing around the school building looking for an entrance. He's 20 meters from the rear gate."

As the rear gate came into view at the end of the hallway, David picked up speed and drew the revolver from his waist. The moment he neared the gate, the door began to open. David slammed his body against the door, blocking the person trying to enter. With a loud thud, a sound came from outside, and David locked the door and radioed in.

"Confirm the suspect's current location!"

"He backed away after trying to open the rear gate! He's aiming a rifle at the door!"

David stepped away from the door and headed to a side window. The suspect had pulled one of the two rifles slung over his shoulder and was aiming it at the door. With a series of bang-bang sounds, bullet holes began to appear in the door. David aimed his revolver at the suspect through the glass. He took a careful breath to ensure he wouldn't miss his one chance, then fired.

Bang! Bang!

David fired two shots and, seeing the suspect fall backward, rose from his crouched position to check if he had been neutralized. He had clearly hit the suspect, but the man, who had fallen to the ground, was seen rising again and grabbing his rifle. David crouched back under the window and radioed in.

"Charlie! Can you check the CCTV? I definitely hit him, but the suspect got back up."

"Holy shit! David, the suspect is wearing body armor! Don't get too close!"

"Where are the other colleagues?"

"They're approaching from the right!"

"Where is the support force?"

"I asked for their arrival time over the radio, but they just keep repeating that they're on their way."

The suspect sprayed bullets at the rear gate until he seemed to run out of ammo, then pulled out another gun and began firing. The rear gate was riddled with holes, losing its shape. While waiting for his colleagues' support, David checked the suspect's position through the corner of the window. Thinking it would be safer to neutralize him directly rather than wait for reinforcements, he sent a radio message.

"Shane! Liam! Where are you?"

"We're waiting at the corner of the building to snipe the suspect!"

"Do you have a clear shot?"

"He's partially blocked by a tree, so we can only see a part of him!"

Seeing rifle rounds pierce through the door and strike the ceiling and floor, David radioed again. "Give me some cover ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fire! I have a clear view of the suspect's front from my side, so I'm going to try to neutralize him!"

"Okay!"

The suspect, who had been spraying bullets at the rear gate, faltered for a moment when the attack began from the flank and moved to the side to find cover. David observed the suspect's movements through the corner of the window, and the moment the muzzle turned to the right, he fired. A sharp groan followed the sound of the gunshot, but it wasn't clear if the suspect had been fully neutralized.

Since the suspect wasn't visible from David's side, he moved to the rear gate and radioed again before poking his head out. "The suspect is not visible from the rear gate! Shane, can you see him from there?"

"Chhh... I can't see him here either!"

David hesitated for a moment. When no more gunfire was heard, he grabbed the handle of the tattered rear gate and pulled it slightly. He searched for the suspect through the gap in the opened door, but saw nothing. Just as he gathered the courage to step outside, an urgent radio message came through.

"David! Support has arrived. Stay where you are and wait!"

David let out a sigh of relief, leaned his body against the wall next to the rear gate, and asked Charlie, who had sent the radio message, "Charlie! Can you see the suspect from there?"

"I see something moving next to the car, but it's blocked, so I can't see clearly! The support force has arrived at the rear gate, so don't you dare step out!"

With the gunfire silenced, the emergency bell ringing inside the school sounded deafeningly loud. David grabbed the radio. "Charlie! Turn off the emergency bell!"

A moment later, as the bell faded, David leaned against the wall of the rear gate, thinking he had passed the worst of it, and waited for the support force to enter. He felt a sense of relief that the suspect hadn't managed to enter the school building, while simultaneously worrying about whether any students had been hurt.

"Chhh... This is Nashville SWAT. We are approaching from the rear gate direction. Can you tell us the suspect's location?"

Upon hearing that the Nashville police had arrived, David watched the outside through the rear gate. "The suspect is presumed to be near the red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Toyota vehicle near the rear gate. Current status of the suspect is unconfirmed!"

The SWAT team didn't rush in because the suspect's movements couldn't be verified. As the standoff continued, David cursed under his breath. Radio messages to confirm the suspect's location went back and forth on the common channel, and then, after a brief silence, a voice came through.

"The suspect's current location cannot be confirmed. The SWAT team will enter with ballistic shields, so campus police are to wait at their current positions and not fire back! I repeat. The SWAT team will..."

The radio instructed the campus police to hold their positions and not fire, as they might be mistaken for the suspect. A moment later, the SWAT team, divided into two groups, began to enter from the rear gate entrance and the side. David focused on the radio traffic, gripping his revolver tightly.

The SWAT team, having entered the school with ballistic shields, quickly approached the red vehicle pointed out by the campus police as there was no return fire. When a large amount of blood was discovered near the red vehicle, the team member in the lead signaled a halt. The second and third team members set up shields next to him to create cover, and the team searched the area to confirm the suspect's location.

Seeing a white male leaning against the trunk of the red Toyota, the three men holding the ballistic shields marched forward in unison and shouted, "Drop the gun! Drop the gun!"

Despite the SWAT team's shouts, the suspect made no movement. Preparing for any contingency, they approached while aiming at the suspect with the handguns held in their right hands. At that moment, the suspect's hand began to move, and the lead team members immediately opened fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The suspect, who had been leaning against the trunk bumper, flinched after being hit, and his hand, which he had been trying to raise, stopped moving. The SWAT team members, having fanned out to the sides, approached while keeping their aim on the suspect. After kicking the nearby guns far away, they checked the suspect's condition.