complied, looked at Kent one more time, then retreated back to his yard.
More police cars pulled up onto Heron Way. The revolving lights on top of the vehicles intermingled with the red, green, and white Christmas decorations throughout the neighborhood. It looked like a spinning holiday season kaleidoscope.
Darlene came out of the house to join her husband. Cliff began to pray out loud so Kent could hear him. Cliff and Darlene clutched each other and worried about their newfound friends.
An ambulance pulled up to the location immediately thereafter. The emergency medical technicians (EMTs) jumped out of the truck and quickly examined the scene. The prognosis was grim, especially for Tricia Whitaker. One of the EMTs phoned in a request for a Life Flight helicopter. Tricia would need immediate surgical attention at the nearby Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital. Her chances of holding on were slim.
3
December 10, 2003, 8:20 P.M .
Sugar Land, Texas
“All units, we have a reported shooting [on] Heron Way in the Sugar Lakes Subdivision,” the voice over the dispatch called out to Sugar Land police officer Kelly Gless. Though Gless was actually patrolling in District 1 of Sugar Land, and Heron Way was located in District 2, he realized he was very close to the district line. The six-year veteran relayed that he would head for the scene.
When he arrived at the address, Gless was surprised to be the first police officer on the scene. He spotted a man on the front porch of the house, frantically waving his arms at him. Gless cautiously exited his vehicle and approached the front porch. As he worked his way up the walkway to the front, he noticed an injured woman lying on her stomach in the doorway. She was moaning and in obvious pain. The man was clutching his right shoulder, which was bleeding.
Officer Gless then looked inside the foyer and saw the body of a young man. At first, there did not seem to be any movement from the young man, but then his arm began to twitch spasmodically. That stopped and the arms rested, outstretched. Gless could see that the young man had suffered some sort of serious chest wound and had bled profusely.
“Help my wife,” Kent Whitaker pleaded with Officer Gless. “Please help my wife.”
Gless directed his attention to Tricia Whitaker. She was gasping for air.
“Ma’am, have you been shot?” Gless asked the barely coherent mother.
Tricia was not able to respond to the officer.
“Ma’am, have you been shot?”
Again, nothing.
Since Gless was on the scene by himself, he was at a distinct disadvantage in case the shooter or shooters were still inside the residence or on the premises. Instead of barreling into the house and chasing down the shooter, Gless determined his safest bet was to wait until help arrived. He then left the front porch and took cover behind the hedge at the front of the porch.
“Unnnnggghhhh!” A terrible moan emanated from the young man in the foyer. Gless knew he needed to summon help for the boy and the woman immediately. He grabbed his receiver and put a call in for a Life Flight rescue helicopter. It was only a matter of time before it would be too late.
“Please, Officer. I have another son inside,” Kent Whitaker cried out to Officer Gless in reference to Bart. “He went inside after the shooter, and I haven’t seen him. Please, please check on him.”
Gless motioned to Kent to stay still and to be quiet.
Eventually Gless was joined at the Whitaker home by two more police officers. After their arrival, even more officers appeared. They were able to create a three-man search team to enter the house to see if they could locate any survivors, any more victims, and/or the shooter or shooters.
Officer Gless stayed outside to secure the perimeter around the Whitaker home.
One of the three men on the search team was Phillip Prevost, a fourteen-year veteran who had spent his last seven years with the Sugar Land Police Department (PD). When he
More police cars pulled up onto Heron Way. The revolving lights on top of the vehicles intermingled with the red, green, and white Christmas decorations throughout the neighborhood. It looked like a spinning holiday season kaleidoscope.
Darlene came out of the house to join her husband. Cliff began to pray out loud so Kent could hear him. Cliff and Darlene clutched each other and worried about their newfound friends.
An ambulance pulled up to the location immediately thereafter. The emergency medical technicians (EMTs) jumped out of the truck and quickly examined the scene. The prognosis was grim, especially for Tricia Whitaker. One of the EMTs phoned in a request for a Life Flight helicopter. Tricia would need immediate surgical attention at the nearby Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital. Her chances of holding on were slim.
3
December 10, 2003, 8:20 P.M .
Sugar Land, Texas
“All units, we have a reported shooting [on] Heron Way in the Sugar Lakes Subdivision,” the voice over the dispatch called out to Sugar Land police officer Kelly Gless. Though Gless was actually patrolling in District 1 of Sugar Land, and Heron Way was located in District 2, he realized he was very close to the district line. The six-year veteran relayed that he would head for the scene.
When he arrived at the address, Gless was surprised to be the first police officer on the scene. He spotted a man on the front porch of the house, frantically waving his arms at him. Gless cautiously exited his vehicle and approached the front porch. As he worked his way up the walkway to the front, he noticed an injured woman lying on her stomach in the doorway. She was moaning and in obvious pain. The man was clutching his right shoulder, which was bleeding.
Officer Gless then looked inside the foyer and saw the body of a young man. At first, there did not seem to be any movement from the young man, but then his arm began to twitch spasmodically. That stopped and the arms rested, outstretched. Gless could see that the young man had suffered some sort of serious chest wound and had bled profusely.
“Help my wife,” Kent Whitaker pleaded with Officer Gless. “Please help my wife.”
Gless directed his attention to Tricia Whitaker. She was gasping for air.
“Ma’am, have you been shot?” Gless asked the barely coherent mother.
Tricia was not able to respond to the officer.
“Ma’am, have you been shot?”
Again, nothing.
Since Gless was on the scene by himself, he was at a distinct disadvantage in case the shooter or shooters were still inside the residence or on the premises. Instead of barreling into the house and chasing down the shooter, Gless determined his safest bet was to wait until help arrived. He then left the front porch and took cover behind the hedge at the front of the porch.
“Unnnnggghhhh!” A terrible moan emanated from the young man in the foyer. Gless knew he needed to summon help for the boy and the woman immediately. He grabbed his receiver and put a call in for a Life Flight rescue helicopter. It was only a matter of time before it would be too late.
“Please, Officer. I have another son inside,” Kent Whitaker cried out to Officer Gless in reference to Bart. “He went inside after the shooter, and I haven’t seen him. Please, please check on him.”
Gless motioned to Kent to stay still and to be quiet.
Eventually Gless was joined at the Whitaker home by two more police officers. After their arrival, even more officers appeared. They were able to create a three-man search team to enter the house to see if they could locate any survivors, any more victims, and/or the shooter or shooters.
Officer Gless stayed outside to secure the perimeter around the Whitaker home.
One of the three men on the search team was Phillip Prevost, a fourteen-year veteran who had spent his last seven years with the Sugar Land Police Department (PD). When he
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