Expert breaks down Nashville police bodycam of ‘outstanding’ school shooting response

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Metro Nashville Police officers that responded to the Covenant School shooting could not have performed any better, a former Metro Nashville police officer said.

Ken Alexandrow spent 26 years as a Metro Police officer. He was an academy instructor and then a field training officer. He now runs a security training company, AGAPE Tactical.

Alexandrow watched the body-worn camera video released by Metro Police of an active shooter inside the Covenant School campus on Monday.

“It was textbook when you consider the stress that they were under and how well they performed,” Alexandrow said. “With all they’re going through, and they’re hearing gunfire, and they’re responding to gunfire, they still had the presence of mind to have muscle discipline to not laser each other, to not be pointing guns at each other’s back. That’s, that’s tremendous, and you don’t see that everywhere.”

Metro Police Chief John Drake said the initial call came in at 10:13 a.m. on Monday. By 10:24 a.m., the shooter was dead.

“They heard gunfire and immediately ran to that,” Drake said. “I was really impressed that with all that was going on – the danger – that somebody took control, let’s go, let’s go, and went in and took care and just trying to end the situation.”

Alexandrow echoed that bravery.

“Average response time in the United States for a “Code Three” response is 9 to 12 minutes,” he said. “They finished it in less than what the average response time is? How can you call that anything less than incredible.”

The officers were even thanked for their bravery by President Joe Biden on Tuesday. The President spoke with each of them separately and commended their quick response to the shooting.

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