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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 Miller defends police actionTroopers tried to communicate with Roberts before shooting beganBy CHRIS A. COUROGEN State police responded appropriately to Monday's Amish schoolhouse shooting, said Col. Jeffrey B. Miller, the commissioner of the state police. Miller insisted it would have been a tactical mistake for police to have retreated as soon as they received Charles Carl Roberts IV's demand for them to back off within 10 seconds. "They absolutely should have stayed on the scene and tried to establish contact," Miller said. "We know if we can make contact, we might be able to de-escalate the situation." Roberts almost immediately began shooting the children. Five girls have died, and another five remain in serious or critical condition. Roberts killed himself. The first two troopers to respond were on the scene within minutes of the 911 call placed by the school's teacher. The teacher slipped out of the building and ran to a nearby home when Roberts allowed the school's 15 male students and four adult females to leave the building. One female student also escaped, Miller said. Eight other troopers arrived and set up a perimeter while a trained hostage negotiator tried to make contact with Roberts over a PA system. Minutes later, Roberts called 911 on a cell phone belonging to his wife, telling the dispatcher if police did not withdraw within 10 seconds, he would open fire. The negotiator tried to reach Roberts on the cell number, which had been captured by the Lancaster County 911 center. According to Miller, although police were preparing ballistic shields and weaponry for a possible assault on the school, their actions should not have seemed threatening to Roberts. Police did not advance until Roberts began shooting. "I don't think it could be taken as a threatening action by him. I don't believe he was in a position to see everything we were doing," Miller said. As shots rang out, police entered the school through a window after finding the doors barricaded. Inside, they found Roberts, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and the victims. They found a cache of weapons and supplies that indicated Roberts was prepared for a long siege, Miller said. Evidence found in the school, and in the milk truck Roberts drove, indicated he had planned the incident for at least six days. Miller described Roberts' actions as "organized" and "preplanned." As he began to carry out his plan, Roberts was determined and serious, Miller said. Roberts did not act agitated as he confidently took control and began carrying out his plans, Miller said. Miller speculated that Roberts panicked when police showed up. "He didn't expect police to show up that quickly. He had planned for such a lengthy siege that when police showed up, he became disorganized. All his planning began to fall apart because he had to respond to something right in front of him. It moved his timeline up to the point where he made mistakes," Miller said. CHRIS A. COUROGEN: 255-8112 ccourogen@patriot-news.com INFOBOX:
State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller has become the face of the investigation with detailed press conferences in front of a national audience. He has been applauded for his calm demeanor and thorough reports of the tragedy. On Monday, Miller, the father of two girls, seemed to struggle to get through a portion of the press conference that dealt with how the Amish girls were lined up in front of the blackboard before they were shot. HERE'S A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF MILLER:
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