Been watching the coverage on TV and listening to the scanner on Broadcastify. Why is the national media so far behind what I can hear? For the last 15 minutes I’ve been hearing that they’ve got the shooter in custody, his name, homicide detectives coming to get him etc. Yet on all the networks they’re going on about how they’re still looking for him. Surely the networks can listen to an iPhone scanner app and be as current as I am?
I have heard up to 20 people shot, no reports on the actual deceased yet. This was on two channels at the gym. The injury number apparently comes from Fire Rescue services.
I didnt switch to the fire/rescue scanner channel but listening to the police on site I’d be surprised if there are no deaths.
Again, I was listening on the scanner and getting detailed updates while watching on the networks and getting info that was coming wrong. Including when they cleared the room in the school where they thought he was, suspects name and description, info from his computer on bomb making, when they closed in and captured him, etc. Meanwhile on the networks they were saying they had no idea where the shooter was, what steps they thought they would take to find him, and so on after he’d been captured for 20 minutes. No idea why they don’t have someone listening to the police scanners.
If the shooter is a minor there may be constraints to giving out his name and other info that would identify him.
The TV channels I was watching had the sound muted so I don’t know what they were actually saying, only what the banner headlines read.
Shooter is apparently in custody, according to the four alerts on my phone.
I get not putting out a name. But while the networks were saying they were still trying to find the suspect, speculating on whether police were looking outside the school, etc. anyone listening to a scanner could hear they had found and arrested the suspect 15-20 minutes earlier. When they were saying on TV that it could take a long time to find him or her, the homicide detectives had already taken the suspect and were giving orders on what to do at the suspect’s home.
I’m just baffled that the networks aren’t listening to the scanner channels and staying current on what’s happening.
The cynic in me figures the networks probably know full well the suspect was in custody, but wanted to get a full hour of breathless dramatic coverage out of the tragedy before telling people the police caught the guy and having them change the channel.
Confirmed shooter must be a white kid.
Moving to P&R.
I saw CNN actively cut away when someone started talking about that stuff from the scanner. My guess is that they don’t want to put out unconfirmed subject info, even in the context of, ‘we heard on the scanner that…’
I guess the idea is kind of calling an election before the polls close. You think it won’t influence anything, but if they actually have the wrong person and the shooter is still out there or there is another shooter…
Maybe just to avoid lawsuits though…
I’d hate to think that is true but it’s inexplicable. I’d think they would want to be the first to break the news. Even information such as the police confirming the shooter was no longer in the school building, yet for another 25 minutes the networks were focused on how they would find him in the school.
Yet at the same time I heard them making comments like “we are hearing unconfirmed reports that the shooter is in the science room.” And it was confirmed and they must have known it (if I did!) for a long time while they kept focusing on the search in the school. They are speculating left and right; what’s the harm in saying “we are hearing unconfirmed reports that the police have taken a suspect into custody at the McDonalds down from the school, with the suspect not resisting. We have not gotten official confirmation from local LE at this point. “
Looking around, see some historical reasons why they might be wary:
In the past eight hours, Twitter has lit up several times with reports that people are taking as true because they heard them on the scanner. Among them was a report that police had named the two suspects in the Boston bombings and the MIT shootout. But those names were apparently the wrong ones, and two innocent people had their names disseminated widely as terror suspects.
If what Jeff was listening to was happening at the same time I was watching Fox and another network (CBS maybe) the police were having kids run out of the school with their hands held up and out. So maybe the fear was that their was a second shooter? It seems like they always think there is a second shooter until it is determined there is not.
BTW, Cub first-baseman Anthony Rizzo is an alum of this high school.
They were also having them place their knapsacks and bookbags in a pile in the street.
Saying now sixteen dead. Supposedly a former student is the shooter.
What the hell are we teaching kids these days? That if they hate their time in school it’s ok to massacre the people there?
New reports say it’s up to 17 dead now. Student had an AR-15.
The GOP will still do nothing.
I’m an old guy for here but I can tell you there have always been troubled kids in high school who fantasized about teaching everyone a lesson or finding a way to show “they won’t ignore me now!” But the publicity around Columbine and the widespread details via the Internet has made school shooting rampages a way for kids who’ve been ignored or made fun to become famous. I also dont remember anyone having assault weapons back then, just shotguns and deer rifles. But I think all the publicity is the real draw.
They will do something. They will take tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions from the NRA.