KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Security and law enforcement experts shared their opinions on Wednesday night's shooting at Crown Center in Kansas City.
"You can have the best high-tech gear there is to detect these things, but is that going to stop it or is that after the fact?" said William Brunkhardt, a security expert at WJB Systems.
It's a good question and the best answer on how to prevent violence, according to Brunkhardt, is better or increased training for security and more cooperation from the public.
"If you see something, say something," he said.
A planned violent incident security teams or police officers can find about and stop is one thing, but Brunkhardt admits no matter what you do, it's hard to predict and prevent sudden anger turning deadly.
"Private sector or public sector, they want to prevent something from happening," he said. "But it's a tough challenge to guarantee."
Police say a bystander at Crown Center also fired their weapon Wednesday night.
Retired FBI Special Agent Michael Tabman said that may not be the best idea.
"If you see a threat that's identifiable and you're sure that you know what the threat is, and who the party is that needs to be taken action against, and you're qualified to do so and you could save lives, then you should do so. But that's a lot of ifs. I would suggest unless you know exactly what's going on, and in these kinds of situations you probably don't, take cover," Tabman said.
In situations where a large group is involved, he says the lines can be too blurry to get involved.
"So if all the sudden gunfire breaks out between two parties, how do you know that one party is not plainclothes law enforcement? How do you know if one party isn't the innocent victim?" Tabman said.
He said it's tough to make the right decision on whether to get involved.
"Someone who takes out their gun and just fires, even though their intent might be good, could very well be committing a crime," Tabman said. "You know reckless endangerment, and they could be setting themselves up for civil liability. The fact that there's danger doesn't mean you're allowed to do whatever you want with a gun."
