Please forgive my rant but I can no longer hold this in and bite my tongue. If you have any doubt in what i am saying please contact former Mayor of Santa Fe, Texas Jason Tabor. He was there and helped much more than he ever got credit for.
My name is Robert Smith, I'm the current President of the Houston Metro Police Union Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #98, the current Sergeant at Arms, and past State Secretary of the Texas Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge. I am a Detective for Houston Metro Police Department, but most importantly, I'm the now the recent former Sergeant over the Reserve Division for Santa Fe Police Department for the past 15+ years. I have also been a extremely proud volunteer firefighter for Santa Fe Fire and Rescue for the past 28+ years.
I have an issue that has been weighing on my mind since May 18th, 2018, and has caused me many sleepless nights and mental anguish for far too long. This issue has to do with the Santa Fe High School shooting on May 18th, 2018. I have been silent for so long but need to get this issue off my chest since it has weighed so heavily on me.
I had just got home from my night shift in Houston, I always turn my Police Department radio from Houston Metro channel to Santa Fe Police and Fire channel. I heard Santa Fe ISD Police Officer John Barnes call out about the active shooter at Santa Fe High School. I immediately put on my Santa Fe PD shirt, put on my duty belt back on, and responded to Santa Fe High School.
As I entered the front doors of the high school, I saw Officer Barnes bleeding profusely and was being moved to the front doors next to the entrance to the front office where Santa Fe Fire and Rescue medics and firefighters were responding to treat him for his horrific injuries. The very 1st person I saw going to where the shooter was barricaded is Santa Fe Police Lieutenant Greg Boody. He responded off duty in plain clothes and was holding a tactical cover for us so no one could come up behind us and kill us. He immediately pointed me.to.the suspect's location.
I went to the hallway where the 1st responding officers were stacked up and waiting. I saw Santa Fe ISD Chief of Police Walter Braun, I immediately asked if anyone had tried to go around to the back and get into the art room from the back door. I was informed no one had thought of that. I immediately volunteered to do that.
Santa Fe ISD Chief Walter Braun handed me his master key and I asked for 3 officers to join me in going around to the back hallway of the art room to get to and eliminate the shooter, and to also tactically check all the rooms on the way for any other threats. I immediately had 2 Texas State Troopers and a previous Galveston County Sheriff's Deputy Kenny Yost that I worked side by side with while I was at GCSO, he was now a Police Officer for Bayou Vista Police Department, he arrived just after me and immediately volunteered to help us.
We searched room, to room, to room, and just before getting to the back of the Art room hallway, we checked the Santa Fe High School theater back stage area. I had the key and was the only one beside Kenny Yost who brought in a Police shotgun from breaching and suppression of threats. I took lead and breeched all these doors always entering first. When we entered the back of the auditorium, we found 21 students hiding in fear. One kid jumped out from behind a curtain, and I almost shot him, he was an innocent kid trying to hide to save his own life. All I saw was the white BB at the end of my shotgun barrel pointed at the this poor kids face. That is an image that still haunts me.
The 2 State Troopers evacuated these kids out of the back stage of the auditorium and safely got them out of the school to safety. I and Officer Yost then breched the back door to the art room hallway to get to the suspect and stop him, but he was crawling out of the room on his belly and surrendering.
The stupidest thing I ever did is was walk into that classroom where he murdered all these kids. I then walked out the back door and saw Mrs. Tisdale lying just outside the door. Not yet knowing that she was my fellow brother in blue (Detective for League City Police Department) mother. Worst of all, one of the kids he killed was my neighbor, his name is Kyle McLeod. I saw him all the time walking his chocolate lab around the neighborhood past my house daily. Now I have to see his mother walking Kyle's puppy without him.
I took me 5+ years to seek help with dealing with this day, I suppressed it for so long until I was in a mandatory active shooter TCOLE training inside a no longer used elementary school in Houston. We were in one of our last evolutions when I broke down. I suddenly saw Santa Fe High School, I could smell the burnt gun powder, I could see the haze of smoke, I could hear the fire alarm going off, but worst of all I could smell the metallic sent of blood.
I had to leave the building and knew at that point I needed to talk to someone, which I did, and I did get help. I had extreme guilt, believing that if I moved faster, I could have prevented some of this, but I now understand those kids were gone before I got to them. One thing that truly bothered me was watching some people get recognition for responding to the Santa Fe High School shooting but didn't do anything, and some people (Heroes) getting left out that did do something. That had a huge impact and we all have to carry the PTSD and from the trauma of that horrific day.
For some reason, Santa Fe PD Lt. Greg Boody, the 2 State Troopers, Bayou Vista Police Officer Kenneth Yost, and I were left out. To this day I still don't know why, I want so bad to suppress the memories of May 18th, 2018.
Officers that stayed safe stacked up in the hallway that did not rescue any kids or help clear the high school, got commendations and even received recognition from the Texas Governors office. I have held these feelings inside for a long, long time, but I feel I need to get them out. I believe these other 1st responders including all the Santa Fe Fire and Rescue Volunteer Firefighters and Medics deserve to be recognized also. There are so many 1st responders and heroes involved, they are truly heroes in my eyes and will always hard a huge place in my heart.
I sent this concern to State of Texas Governor Greg Abbott but still have not received a response.
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