- Policing experts said cops' response to a Texas summer camp shooting shows protocols work when followed.
- An expert told Insider that the Duncanville police response is "validation" that cops can neutralize a threat.
- Police responded to and engaged with the gunman within two minutes of the first 911 call.
Policing experts praised Texas police for a swift and efficient response to a gunman at a Texas summer camp earlier this week.
And after Uvalde police have faced backlash for their handling of a mass shooting at an elementary school that left 21 people dead, the experts told Insider the summer camp shooting response by Duncanville, Texas cops was proof that active shooting training works "when they follow the training."
"It is clear to me that the Duncanville Police response followed the training that officers receive on active shooters," Alex Del Carmen, the associate dean of the school of criminal justice at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, told Insider.
Officials said a 42-year-old man was able to enter the Duncanville Fieldhouse on Monday — where more than 250 children ages 4 to 14 were having summer camp — through the front lobby entrance when he confronted and had a conversation with a staff member.
Police said the suspect fired a single shot but did not harm the staff member. The gunman then found a locked classroom and fired a shot into the room with children in it, but no one was hurt, authorities said.
The shooter moved to the gymnasium — where children were located. Within minutes of getting a 911 call, Duncanville police had entered the school and confronted the shooter.
The gunman and cops then traded gunfire, and the shooter was wounded. The gunman was declared dead at a nearby hospital.
No one else was hurt.
Del Carmen noted that the police responded within two minutes of receiving the first 911 call notifying them that a gunman had entered a children's summer camp Wednesday.
Specifically, Del Carmen pointed out that the officers were well informed when they arrived at the scene.
"When they arrived at the scene, they knew exactly where the suspect was and did not hesitate to engage him. This is what we train police officers to do in these situations," Del Carmen said.
"They know that every second counts and that the response time to the scene and the time it takes to assess the situation and engage the suspect, are critical in saving lives."
He added that there was "no hesitation or delay in engaging the suspect" and said the police officer's actions show "coordination, communication and leadership matter in active shooting scenarios."
"With a firearm that can shoot a dozen or so bullets within in a minute, less than a minute, time makes all the difference," Kalfani Ture, former police officer and assistant professor at Mount St. Mary's University, told Insider.
"A school, a campsite, a hospital, a place where you have vulnerable targets, we need the superhero," Ture added.
The Duncanville incident comes on the heels of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers dead.
Police there have been criticized for not following training protocols and allowing the gunman to barricade himself inside of a fourth-grade classroom for over an hour without being confronted, which experts say contributed to the carnage.
Uvalde "absolutely" was on the mind of officers who responded to the call of a person with a gun around kids, Ture said.
"Uvalde demonstrated the constellation of major deficits: everything from the school chief of police to a potentially defective door to a lot of red flags that were missed. This situation in Duncanville demonstrated the constellation of factors that were supposed to work well in concert and they did," Ture said.
Ture continued: "They're all thinking about Uvalde and because of the proximity and time everybody who responded … this Uvalde tragedy and the vigilance that is requisite to save lives is on the mind of most people."
Both Del Carmen and Ture believe the police department's quick and efficient response in Duncanville prevented any casualties.
The Duncanville police response "will be regarded as validation that the active shooter training that is given to police officers works when they follow the training protocols in place," Del Carmen said.
"In the case of Duncanville, Texas, police officers knew the training and implemented the training protocols they had received in the past," Del Carmen continued.
"There is no doubt in my mind that their quick and professional response saved lives."
A press release from the Duncanville Police Department acknowledged the officers who "followed their training."
"The City commends them for their actions today," the press release states.
"Our officers did not hesitate," Duncanville Mayor Barry Gordon told WFAA. "They did what they were trained to do and saved lives."