A Situation
Chapter 3
South California Street in Chicago had been condoned off, with a SWAT team suited up and ready to infiltrate its mark.
The target was Building B, the building next to the Cook County's DA office. The original District Attorney's office had been overflowing with attorneys and cases, so it was decided to move some of the people over to the adjunct building next door. Newly built, Building B had only three floors and Donnie's office was on the top floor.
Kate Moretti, also in full gear, had taken a position behind a barricade of FBI specialized black vans with tinted windows.
She had been informed of a lone gunman who had fired once, with an unspecified number of people in the building. In charge of coordinating the operation, she had attempted to contact the shooter by use of a bullhorn, but he failed to respond to her request for open communication.
Thinking of different scenarios on how next to proceed, Kate hoped against hope that Donnie had not made it to the office early. She had earlier texted him, but had not received a text back from him.
Agent Probert came up to the side of Kate just as she received an incoming text. Her heart dropped at what she read.
"Something wrong, Kate?" Agent Probert asked, noticing the extra scowl on her face.
She was still staring at the screen of her cellphone, "It's Donnie. He just texted me from inside the building."
Probert was well aware of who Donnie was and how much he meant to Kate.
"Sorry to hear that he's in there, Kate...but, what did he have to say?"
"Donnie says the shooter's name is Gene Yuss," she continued, her voice a bit shaky, "and there are two other innocent people in there as well; Larry Stevenson, another attorney, and Mary Ann Tilson, a paralegal. Mary Ann was the one who had been shot."
Probert remained stone-faced, with only a twitch in his jaw to show his stress.
"Is Donnie safe?" Probert asked, "How was he able to get a text to you?"
"Right after the first shot, he took a chance and went running off," Kate explained, "luckily he's somewhat safe, but he's not in the clear. He's hiding in the snack room, between two of the vending machines. I told him to stay put."
Probert nodded.
"I'll relay the information to everyone and I'll see if we can get a read on the suspect," Agent Probert announced, as he walked away to make the call.
Momentarily, Kate shut her eyes in regret. She felt terrible and blamed herself for putting Donnie in this situation. If she hadn't insisted that he be home by 6 every night, he wouldn't have felt the need to come to work so early.
But she needed to stop thinking of any personal thoughts and just concentrate on following all procedures regarding a hostage situation. She needed to cross all the T's and dot all her I's.
Within minutes, a SWAT member approached her.
"Agent Moretti," SWAT leader Logan addressed her, "I've been informed that you have confirmation of only one shooter in the building and three civilians. You give the green light and I'll send in my people."
"No, it's still too dangerous," she decided, "we don't want to spook the suspect into shoot wildly, out of fear or anger. So far, we have one civilian shot, another one in hiding and no knowledge as to the whereabouts of the third office worker. I don't want to take any risks if it's not absolutely necessary. However, keep your people on high alert; they may have to go in at a second's notice."
Logan acknowledged before departing, just as Agent Probert returned with some additional information.
"I've got some info for you on that suspect, Gene Yuss, but it's not much," Probert didn't sound pleased, "Apparently, Yuss is a part-time accountant at Building B. Been working there less than six months. From what the DA told us, Yuss is a good worker, but keeps to himself. Mid-thirties, Caucasian, no ties to the community, no local family."
"Sounds like a real loner," Kate stated, "and unfortunately, that fits the profile for a serial shooter."
Another text came in from her cellphone and Kate quickly scanned the message.
"Is that Donnie?" Probert asked, as he watched Kate's agonized look.
"Yes, and according to him, Yuss came in early this morning and just began shooting, with no explanation."
Kate now feared the worst. If Yuss was an introvert and outsider, and if he was willing to shoot people with no apparent motive, it sounded as if Yuss was the type of shooter who could not be reasoned with.
She stared back at the building and felt guilty. Donnie was up here, somewhere in the snack room, feeling scared and all alone as he hid from a crazed shooter.
The transceiver on the shoulder of Kate's tactical vest suddenly started to squawk.
"Movement, movement!" a SWAT member excitedly announced, "Third floor, northeast corner!"
Kate lifted her binoculars and peered through them. Focusing, she noted a man with long, dark, wiry hair tied back in a ponytail with a mustache. He was wearing a light blue sweatshirt.
She spoke through her transceiver to all SWAT members, "Does anyone have a clear shot?"
But when she looked again, the suspect had disappeared in the shadows.
"That's a negative, Agent Moretti."
"The next time there is visual on the shooter," Kate informed everyone, "...and make sure it IS the shooter...Take the shot. Don't waste time to get approval from me."
Three lives were at stake, including Donnie's, Kate thought miserably, as she stared at the building. If they take a shot and were unsuccessful, the suspect might take out his anger on the innocent people in there.
A decision needed to be made.
She would give the green light. After all, one civilian was already shot and possibly bleeding out, and right now, the shooter could be stalking the hallway, in search of Donnie. And there's a good chance he could find him.
Just then SWAT leader Logan ran up to her.
"Tell your people-" she began, but he interrupted.
"911 just received a call from someone identifying himself as Larry Stevenson," he informed her, slightly breathless.
Then abruptly, without warning-
BANG!
Her head jerked up towards the building at the sound of a gunshot.
"Single shot fired from inside building!" Someone yelled into her transceiver.
Kate reacted.
She leaned next to the speaker to transmit her next order.
"SWAT team, Go in. Repeat, go in. Be sure to cover all exits, including the roof," she then added insistently, "Yuss must not escape. Shoot to kill."
There was some static and then she heard, "Copy that."
Then-
BANG! BANG!
Two more shots!
Kate panicked.
Donnie!
She quickly texted Donnie, "Donnie, U OK?"
She waited, willing the screen to respond.
The screen remained blank.
She shook her cellphone as though it was broken, as tears welled in her eyes and she tried again.
"Donnie, U OK?"
Nothing.
She felt a dizzying sensation down to the pit of her stomach.
Kate was actually shaking. She watched as the SWAT teams moved forward. She looked down when her cellphone suddenly vibrated. She picked up quickly.
It was Donnie.
"Been shot. Twice. Hurts like hell." he had texted.
Kate's eyes widened but she forced herself to remain calm as she watched the action unfold in front of her.
Three groups of SWAT members scrambled to surround the building. Then quickly and decisively, they burst through the doors. After clearing the first floor, they went to the second. Outside, FBI agents and snipers had their weapons trained on the windows, the roof and any exit doors.
A voice could be heard coming from Kate's transmitter.
"First floor cleared."
Then a different voice announced, "Second floor, cleared."
No other voices could be heard for a time. Kate tried to text Donnie, but no answer. Is he alright? Panicking, she could feel herself sweating, heard herself breathing hard with anxiety.
She wanted to keep texting, but she had to be alert to what was happening with the SWAT team.
Grabbing her binoculars, she gazed up towards Building B. The door to the roof opened and Kate could see two SWAT team members emerged. They scanned the entire area as Kate watched with bated anticipation. One of the men shrugged his shoulders, letting her know that Yuss was definitely not on the roof.
Suddenly her transmitter squawked again.
It was a SWAT team member on the third floor.
"Reporting from the snack room...we found him! Mr. Ryan! He's alive!"
Thank God! Kate gave a relieved sigh.
The paramedics were parked behind the FBI barrier and were already beginning to unload their equipment as they waited for permission that it was safe to proceed inside the building.
SWAT leader Logan's voice could be heard on her tranceiver,"Two bodies discovered. One in the main part of the third floor, the other in an office. Both dead. Neither one is the shooter."
Kate moaned. Two of the three hostages killed and nowhere was there the sign of the killer.
"We need EMT for Mr. Ryan!" she heard another member say.
Kate was of course grateful that Donnie was alive and prayed that he would pull through. But her job wasn't done yet.
"I need an update on the shooter, STAT," She spoke through the transmitter. She couldn't risk the lives of the EMT's who were about to go in.
"No shooter here on second floor, Ma'am."
"He's not here on third floor, either," someone else reported in.
"First floor cleared, Ma'am."
"Then stay locked down!" Kate commanded, "And do another sweep!"
"We've already done two, Agent Moretti. Yuss is not here," insisted Logan, the SWAT leader, from somewhere inside the building.
Kate was exasperated. They HAD to find the shooter!
"How could he not be there?" she demanded to know, "we saw him at the window, heard his shots, and there's no way he could have escaped from any exit. He's THERE!"
She heard nothing and then, "Copy that, we will continue to search," came a weak response.
Another SWAT member spoke out, this time sounding desperate.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE THE EMTs?" he yelled out from the snack room "This man is in critical condition!"
Kate turned and waved the EMT's through, informing them as to the location of snack room. As the four EMTs rushed passed her, she was suddenly swarmed by reporters who shoved microphones in her face while blasting out questions to her..
"Agent Moretti, how many shooters are there?"
"Can you verify the identity of the victims?"
"It has been reported that there are some dead bodies in the building. Can you confirm or deny that?"
"Miss Moretti, where are the suspects?"
"Why don't we see any arrests?"
"Agent Moretti, is this a botched mission?"
The questions were coming from everywhere. Kate felt overwhelmed as she glanced at one stranger reporter to the next. Pursing her lips, she knew that if they didn't find the shooter, it would be a botched mission. And being that she was in charge of this entire operation, all blame would fall on to her.
"I have nothing to say," she stated bitterly as she waved her hand as if to swat them away.
She walked away from them, not caring where she was headed. But they would not let up as they followed her, firing question after question at her.
They're a bunch of ruthless vultures, she thought to herself, all they want is a scoop.It was only agency protocol that kept her from yelling at the entire bunch. She couldn't shake them off as they continued to surround her.
Then, unexpectedly, she felt two strong hands on each side of her arms, leading her into a different direction, back towards the building. The person was practically dragging her against her will. She felt indignant until she felt a familiar wool scarf brush against her cheek as her peripheral vision caught sight of the edge of a recognizable wool peacoat as she continued to be pushed forward.
Turning only her head, her look of shock instantly turned into one of relief.
"Daniel?!"
Sure enough it was Daniel looking concernedly back at her while Lewicki stood right behind him, a huge grin on his face.
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