Police needed a Spanish-speaking officer.
Until one arrived, the negotiation could not safely progress.
So officers waited.
Again.
And while they waited, investigators turned back to the children.
They needed to understand motive.
Why had Jose shot Lizette?
Was there a long history of violence?
Was he suicidal?
Had he threatened the children?
Was this a moment of rage?
Or had he been planning something?
The daughter began telling them what had been happening inside the family.
Weeks of Jealousy
According to the daughter, Jose had been obsessing over the possibility that Lizette was cheating.
He repeatedly accused her.
Lizette denied it.
The conflict did not disappear.
Instead, Jose's suspicion reportedly intensified.
The daughter described him following or monitoring her mother.
More disturbing, she said he had placed recording devices inside the home.
Jose was trying to catch something.
A voice.
A conversation.
Evidence.
He believed Lizette was involved with her boss.
The daughter said her mother was preparing to travel to California for work the next day.
That work trip became part of the couple's argument.
To Jose, apparently, it was another reason for suspicion.
The daughter had been sitting with her mother doing her nails and talking about the fighting.
Then the confrontation happened.
Her mother ran.
Jose followed.
Gunfire.
Blood.
This information gave negotiators a possible emotional framework.
The standoff did not appear to involve robbery.
No stranger had broken into the house.
No political demand existed.
This was domestic violence.
Jealousy.
Possessiveness.
Suspicion.
Whatever was happening inside Jose's mind, his anger had been directed at the person closest to him.
And now, after shooting her, he was firing at police.
The Spanish-Speaking Officer Arrives
Approximately an hour and fifteen minutes into the standoff, a Spanish-speaking officer reached the scene.
Now police finally had someone who could communicate clearly with Jose.
The goal was not to win an argument about Lizette.
The goal was surrender.
Slow the situation down.
Reduce Jose's emotional intensity.
Keep him talking.
Convince him to put down the weapon.
Get him outside alive.
Then reach Lizette.
Negotiators called again.
At first, Jose's statements did not make sense.
He claimed some of the gunfire police heard had actually come from the television.
That claim directly contradicted what officers had experienced.
Police had watched or heard him fire.
He had shot down the drone.
A round had nearly hit an officer.
Then Jose made another strange statement.
He said his ten-year-old son was still inside with him.
Police knew this was false.
The boy was standing outside with officers.
They had personally evacuated him.
Now negotiators faced a difficult question.
Was Jose intentionally lying?
Was he trying to create hesitation so police would not enter?
Or was he so psychologically overwhelmed that he did not accurately understand what was happening?
Police could not know.
And challenging him aggressively would not necessarily help.
If a barricaded gunman is talking, negotiators often prefer continued conversation to confrontation.
The objective is not proving that the suspect is lying.
The objective is keeping the suspect from shooting anyone else.
So they listened.
Asked questions.
Repeated requests.
Come outside.
Put the weapon down.
Let this end.
Jose refused.
Time Becomes the Enemy
Outside, the emotional pressure was becoming unbearable for Lizette's friends and children.
They knew she had been shot.
They knew police had not reached her.
From their perspective, the solution seemed obvious.
Go inside.
Get her.
An angry friend confronted officers.
"I'm not telling you how to do your job, but can you all go in?"
The question captured the impossible position police were in.
Every minute waiting might reduce Lizette's chance of survival.
But Jose had already fired at officers.
He had shot down a drone.
Police did not know whether he had moved.
They did not know whether he was waiting behind a doorway.
They did not know whether another weapon existed.
Entering could produce an officer death.
The friend pushed back.
The longer police waited, she argued, the longer Lizette was bleeding.
Could they at least send an ambulance?
Officers tried to explain.
Paramedics cannot simply walk into an active shooting scene.
An ambulance does not stop bullets.
Before medical personnel could reach Lizette, the threat had to be controlled.
The friend insisted there was nobody else inside.
Police had only partial confirmation.
What if Jose had another person with him?
What if information was wrong?
What if officers entered and were ambushed?
Every decision carried risk.
Wait too long, and Lizette might die.
Move too quickly, and more people might die.
There was no completely safe choice.
"He Said He's Not Coming Out Until You Kill Him"
Then came another alarming statement.
Jose had apparently indicated that he was not going to come out unless police killed him.
That sounded like what officers often call a suicide-by-cop scenario.
A person may refuse to kill himself directly.
Instead, he threatens officers or moves toward them with a weapon, forcing police to shoot.
If that was Jose's intention, every surrender attempt became more dangerous.
Police could not assume that because he walked outside, he would be unarmed.
A gun could be concealed.
A sudden movement could be deliberate.
Tactical officers prepared for several outcomes.
One officer would handle verbal commands.
One would control hands if Jose surrendered.
Another would remain prepared with lethal force.
A less-lethal option would be ready when appropriate.
Assignments were explicit.
Who talks?
Who watches the hands?
Who carries the Taser?
Who uses deadly force if Jose produces a weapon?
This division exists for a reason.
In a critical moment, officers cannot all make different decisions simultaneously.
Someone needs to communicate.
Someone needs to arrest.
Someone needs to protect the arrest team.
The plan was ready.
Only one thing was missing.
Jose still had to come outside.
A Father Refusing Police
The standoff continued.
Police called.
Jose resisted.
Commands were broadcast toward the house.
Come to the front door.
Hands up.
No weapon.
Nothing changed.
At this stage the adults in the operation had used almost every obvious tool.
Patrol officers.
SWAT.
Sniper.
Drone.
Negotiator.
Spanish-speaking officer.
Phone contact.