Fearless Duo: Marine Vet and Award-Winning Cop Who Stopped Trans School Shooter
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An award-winning "Precision Policeman" and a former Marine were the brave officers who killed the transgender shooter who attacked a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, last week.
On Monday, a transgender gunman, 28, killed three children and three adults at The Covenant School. Michael Collazo, 31, and Rex Engelbert, 27, fled in the direction of the sound of gunshots.
According to Fox News, Collazo, a nine-year Metro Nashville Police Department veteran, is a former fireman and SWAT paramedic who also served in the Marine Corps.
His sister, Deanne Collazo DeHart, said, "He is obviously very brave, braver than I ever imagined." He genuinely enjoys his work.
Eight people were hurt and scores of structures were destroyed in the Christmas Day 2020 bombing in Nashville. The bomber, Anthony Quinn Warner, died in the blast.
It all pays off, she continued, "when I sit and think about all the training and all the different classes that he takes, and all the family events that he's had to miss due to training or leaving to go through this training or this class." It is truly amazing to see the courage of all of them just storming and emptying the rooms. You also praise the entire staff.
Officer Collazo can be seen sprinting unafraid towards the gunfire after several shots are fired inside the Christian school in a dramatic bodycam video that was made public on Tuesday. He shouts, "Shoots fired, shots fired, shots fired, move!"
The transgender gunman discharges several additional shots as Collazo and the other officers reach the end of a passageway. The shooter was at the time shooting the police who were on the ground outside a window as the officers advanced towards him.
Officer Engelbert, a four-year department veteran who discharged the initial rounds to stop the transgender shooter, was also one of the first rescuers. The brave deeds of Engelbert come one week after he was recognized for "precision policing" after finding nearly two dozen stolen credit cards, a handgun, and fentanyl.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Central Precinct said that "these seizures took two dangerous felons who had multiple outstanding warrants off the streets of downtown Nashville." "We are incredibly grateful for their commitment to maintaining the safety of our city."
Betsy Brantner Smith, a representative of the National Police Associated, appreciated the brave cops. Brantner Smith said, "That's what you want in your police officers, genuinely selfless devotion. We need to go back to that warrior mindset, of 'those children's lives are more essential than mine."
Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, Mike Hill, 61, and the children Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all aged 9, were killed in the attack.
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