a scary day for our family

our buddy {on our squad} A. Platts - on right

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2011/01/05/20110105chandler-mall-robbery-shooting05-ON.html

Today was an emotional day for our family & our close friends.  Heath and his squad were  called to the Chandler Mall for an active shooter.  I am so thankful for Heath and how thoughtful he is when it comes to these kinds of calls.  He calls me to let me know what's going on {before I see it on the news} and keeps me posted throughout the situation.

Today, I got a call from Heath a little after 12noon.  He told me to tell everyone at my office not to go near the Chandler Mall {down the street from my office}.  He said, "I'll call you back later".  I let the girls know about the call.  A few minutes later, a text from Heath telling me it was an active shooter.  I immediately started watching the news to see what was going on.  They were updating every 20 minutes or so.  I got a call from Heath around 12:30pm.  He told me that they have the suspect trapped in the mall and that the mall was evacuated.

...then no contact at all... {this is where I start getting sick to my stomach} and the news is saying that more shots are fired, but at Baja Fresh, across the street ... not at the mall. 

I continued to watch the news and keep in contact with the other wives on the squad for any updates they may have gotten from their hubbys.  Around 3:30pm, I get a call from Heath.  "Code 4".  I love those words from him.  Everything was over {finally}.  He had ended up getting shot at by the suspect who had gotten past the perimeter, the police set up and went into another restaurant across the street from the mall.  SWAT ended up relieving Heath and the other guys until the suspect gave up and surrendered.

Heath got to the mall and evacuated The Cheesecake Factory, which was still filled with Patrons.  Then shots fired at Baja Fresh, across the street.  He and a few other guys went straight to Baja Fresh and were first on scene.  They walked up to the front of the restaurant, then heard shots.  He realized they were being shot at.  He crawled underneath a truck and took cover.

Heath said that the suspect called his family and said he wasn't going down without a fight.  Thankfully, he changed his mind.

I am so thankful for the local police departments for keeping our streets & highways safe.  I am also thankful for a close circle of cop wifes who I love!  They are such a great support.