Now they had direct evidence that he was willing to fire toward police.
This was not simply a family member sitting inside with a gun waiting to be talked down.
Officers approaching the house could be shot.
A rescue attempt designed to save Lizette might create additional casualties.
The sergeant abandoned the immediate rush.
The team pulled back.
Now the operation needed to be rebuilt around containment.
But there was another problem.
The south side of the property had not yet been fully secured.
Beyond it was a nearby park.
If Jose slipped out through the rear, he could potentially enter an open area where civilians might be present.
Someone had to move behind the house.
To do that, an officer would have to cross an area exposed to windows where Jose might be waiting.
The dangerous assignment fell to the rookie.
Moving Behind the House
By now, SWAT resources were arriving.
A sniper became part of the perimeter.
A drone operator prepared equipment.
Officers covered the front.
Other units covered the sides.
The rookie and another officer moved toward the rear.
They went from yard to yard.
Fences complicated the route.
The officers tried to stay low.
Every window mattered.
A figure appearing behind glass could be Jose.
A rifle barrel could appear without warning.
One officer openly said he did not like standing in a particular exposed position.
That kind of statement is revealing.
Training does not remove fear.
Police officers understand exactly why certain locations feel dangerous.
They simply have to continue functioning while feeling it.
From behind the property, commands were shouted toward the house.
"St. Cloud Police Department."
"Come out with your hands up."
Nothing.
The house remained silent.
The perimeter tightened.
For the first time, police had officers positioned around nearly every escape route.
A sniper watched the front.
SWAT was available.
The gunman was increasingly contained.
But containment did not solve the central problem.
Lizette might still be alive.
Every minute she remained inside could matter.
Police needed information.
They needed eyes inside the house.
So they turned to technology.
The Drone
A drone could accomplish something an officer could not.
It could approach the residence without placing a human body directly in the line of fire.
If cameras could see through doors or windows, officers might locate Jose.
Maybe they could locate Lizette.
Maybe they could learn which rooms were safe.
The drone went up.
For a moment, it appeared to work.
Officers gained a visual.
Jose was inside.
He appeared to be farther down a hallway.
And he appeared to have a weapon.
Possibly a rifle or a firearm with a light attached.
The drone had found him.
Then Jose saw the drone.
A shot was fired.
The drone went down.
The technological advantage disappeared almost immediately.
But the failed drone flight still gave police valuable information.
Jose was alive.
He was armed.
He was actively watching his surroundings.
And he was willing to fire at anything approaching.
First police officers.
Now a drone.
This was becoming a prolonged barricade.
And police still had no confirmation of Lizette's condition.
Then movement appeared around the house.
The Children Run
Suddenly people began emerging.
Officers shouted.
Movement everywhere.
Get them.
Move them.
Behind the vehicles.
Keep them protected.
Police did not initially know whether one of the people running toward them might be armed.
Commands were rapid.
Hands visible.
Get behind the car.
Move away from the house.
Then officers realized who they were seeing.
Children.
A ten-year-old boy.
And his 24-year-old sister.
Jose's children.
Lizette's children.
They had escaped.
One of them was terrified.
"I don't want to die."
An officer answered immediately.
"You're not going to."
Police moved them farther behind cover.
Other nearby families were also evacuated.
Every civilian removed from the immediate area simplified the tactical problem.
But for investigators, the two children were more than rescued hostages.
They were witnesses.
They knew Jose.
They knew the house.
They knew what had happened before police arrived.
And they might know how to reach him.
The entire operation was about to shift because the shooter's own children were now standing beside police.
"That's Our Dad"
The officers began asking practical questions.
Who is inside?
Where is your mother?
Where is your father?
What kind of weapon does he own?
Does he have military experience?
What does he do for work?
The children identified the shooter as their father.
Jose.
The wounded woman was their mother.
Lizette.
The ten-year-old boy and his older sister believed that only their parents remained inside.
That information was critically important.
Police no longer had reason to believe additional children were trapped.
The daughter described her father's work.
Construction-related work.
Boat building was also mentioned.
She described at least one firearm.
Perhaps a handgun.
The children were not completely certain about the exact weapon.
That uncertainty was understandable.
Children living in a house may know that a gun exists without knowing make, model or caliber.
Police asked whether Jose had military training.
No.
That mattered too.
A person without military experience can still be dangerous.
But tactical officers want to know whether a barricaded gunman may understand fields of fire, defensive positions or weapons tactics.
Now police had something else.
A phone number.
Jose's children could provide direct contact information.
Until that point, officers had mainly been shouting commands toward a house.
Now they might be able to speak directly to the man holding the gun.
Negotiation could begin.
At least that was the hope.
The First Phone Call
Police called.
Jose answered.
An officer identified himself and tried to speak calmly.
Jose.
Can you hear me?
Almost immediately, another obstacle appeared.
Jose did not speak enough English for a meaningful crisis negotiation.
In an ordinary conversation, limited language overlap can be inconvenient.
During a hostage or barricade situation, it can be dangerous.
Every word matters.
"Put the gun down."
"Do not come outside holding anything."
"Your children are safe."
"We want to help your wife."
"Walk to the front door."
Misunderstanding one command could get someone killed.