Local police chief weighs in on bodycam footage of Nashville school shooting

Ludlow Police Chief Daniel Valadas walked us through the six-minute video, commending the first responders who reacted exactly how officers here in western Mass
Published: Mar. 28, 2023 at 4:11 PM EDT|Updated: Mar. 28, 2023 at 5:22 PM EDT

LUDLOW, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Western Mass News has spoken to one local police chief, who weighed in on what he saw playing out in Nashville yesterday by watching the police bodycam video released on Tuesday.

Ludlow Police Chief Daniel Valadas walked us through the six-minute video, commending the first responders who reacted exactly how officers here in western Massachusetts are trained.

We want to warn you – the footage may be disturbing to some viewers.

“This is excellent tactics by brave police officers with an exceptional amount of training or proficiency at the training they’ve received,” said Chief Valadas.

Following Monday’s school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, which resulted in the death of three nine-year-olds and three school staff members, the Metro Nashville Police Department released body camera footage of first responders.

Chief Valadas told Western Mass News that these videos are invaluable for police education.

“These exercises are in practice. You are as good as you train,” he said. “Actually, viewing a video, you can see the tactics that we train with put in place.”

In the body camera footage, officers quickly call out commands – “Clear, next, let’s go!” They then moved in groups of three to clear out rooms on both the first and second floors of the building.

“Every time they come to the door or an open space, they have to pause because they don’t know exactly where the shooter is,” Chief Valadas explained.

In the video, he pointed out that the officer with the highest firepower weapon typically leads the way in the middle with other officers wielding shotguns and pistons flanking him on the side.

“He has the longest distance weapon system,” Chief Valadas told us. “That’s the one I can give the most distance to take somebody out, which is an advantage, or else you need to cover or they’re going to shoot back, and she’s got some pretty good fire power.”

That was until the suspect fired a rifle on the 2nd floor.

“I think it’s upstairs,” Nashville officers said in the bodycam footage. “Sounds like it’s upstairs.”

“At this point in time, why are they abandoning the first floor?” Chief Valadas said. “Maybe there’s another shooter they don’t know, but they know somebody’s giving away their position upstairs.”

After officers moved in, it was at that point when police engaged in fire with the suspect and closed in.

“They don’t hesitate, you have to close,” Chief Valadas explained. “Sure, you open yourself up, no cover, but they have to close now because that suspect could not be hit, could pop up and return.”

He added that it is crucial to confirm that the suspect is down and the area is secured before treating any injured people on scene. He also commended the staff members outside the building who gave the officers information, as well as entry inside.

“The staff member handing that key over to the first responding officer,” Chief Valadas pointed out. “If we don’t gain entry, there’s no way to take out that suspect.”

For police officers here in western Massachusetts, he said that the transparency of information is vital for helping prevent future tragedies.

“People must know how you responded and what you did, and you put everything out there and the only thing that you can be is truthful,” Chief Valadas told us.

One of the biggest factors in these situations, according to Chief Valadas, is time and acting quickly.