Station 9 News Special: A 1 Year Anniversary A Return to the Lot with the Shiloh 6.... hosted by J. Brady

[J. Brady]

*A chilly gust of wind kicks up some leaves in the barren lot in kimberly. The leaves have started to change. I'm waiting with my camera and sound crew for the arrival of the Sheriff's deputies. Last year these guys made national news so this should give us a ratings boost to beat channel 4.*

Jon: I think I see them

'Better be them, I'm freezing.'

*Several ford fusions pull up. The deputies step out and I walk over to greet them.*

'Good afternoon guys thank you for coming out. Were going to start rolling shortly'

[J. Rogers]

*Getting out of the car the reporter walks up to us and greets us*

'Good Afternoon guys thank you for coming out. Were going to start rolling Shortly'

'Afternoon'

*i reach my hand out to shake the reporters*

'what's your name sir i'm James Rodgers'

[J. Wagner]

Letting Scrat take the initial chat, I straighten my tie a little more and look around at the field. A full year already? Wow

'Afternoon' I nod towards one of the production staff.

[E. Hawke]

This place looks different then I remember from a year ago.  It's brighter, sunnier.  Daylight, yeah, that's it.  It's the sunlight lighting up the lot.  Getting out of the car after Scrat and Wagner I take a sip of my coffee.

'Afternoon'

Quick greeting from me as I continue to take in the area.  I think I'm standing where 206 was during the shootout.

[A. Sanchez]

Getting out of the car in the Class B uniform we were asked to wear.  Looking around the lot I can still picture everything as how it was a year ago and I only joined in halfway through the fight too.

'Hope they got all the bombs.'

Quietly saying to myself though I'm sure some of my fellow deputies could hear me.  It was a joke and hopefully they knew that.

'Afternoon.'

[M. Caldwell]

*I get out of the car. I hadn't been out here since but still. Why would I want to. I look over the field, Its different during the day but you can still see where the blasts for the bombs were. The main reporter introduces himself.*

'How are you.'

*I say shaking hands*

[R. O'Reilly]

I step out of the cars with the other deputies, looking around. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be a media pig. But the department had something about duty and appearances, and so here I was. I greet the reporter, shaking the offered hand.

'Afternoon.'

[J. Wagner]

Looking around it's a little weird to see everyone with that little purple bar on our uniforms. Dressed up on purpose. Show off the heroes Sheriff Wohl said. Always a man to know how to play the spotlight. Well everyone except Scrat. Jesus, I truly cannot believe that rookie saved us all. 

 

'So, I guess I'll be the first to say that it's weird to be back here. I don't think I've been back in Kimberley since that day.'

[E. Hawke]

'Yeah, try living here.  Still feels weird but you get used to it.'

Commenting to Wagner's statement there I double check to make sure my ribbons are in their proper place.  Then I turn to the production crew.

'So where do you want us?  Or are we just going to stand and wander the lot here?'

[J. Brady]

'So where do you want us?  Or are we just going to stand and wander the lot here?'

*I look over at the lot.*

'You guys are going to stand here where we can see the lot so you can point out where everything happened.'

*My producer gives me a nod that were ready to go. I pick up the microphone with the channel 9 logo on it.*

'Good evening this James Brady with Channel 9 news. One year ago in this field in Kimberly was deadliest police shootouts in Saratoga history. Last year these hero deputies of the Shiloh County Sheriff's department now known as the Shiloh Seven were fighting for their lives after a call about a suspicious vehicle turned deadly. Tonight we're going to be talking to them about what happened that night and how it has been after receiving national attention for that night.'

*I walk over to the Deputy closest to me. I see Wagner on the name tag.*

'Deputy Wagner, Can you tell us what the viewers what you saw when you first arrived that night?'

[J. Wagner]

'Well James, if I'm completely honest, I didn't expect to find anything. We were all briefed to be on heightened alert going into this shift, and I was assigned to roam between Clinton and Kimberley, bulking up their regular patrols. I think we had almost every car on the road that night. It came in as a regular call, suspicious vehicle on a property. Normally this wouldn't even get two cars, but I actually staged to meet Deputy Hawke. She drove by before I did and called in what she saw. We met up and tried to come up with a plan of action, because something just didn't sit right with any of us. I'm a member of the SWAT team for the county, so they deferred to my judgement, so we called in what we saw and ask to get the rest of the SWAT team at least aware. Talking to the Captain after, we were 1 of 15 calls they'd been alerted on and were triaging to assess. Normally we don't ever have more than one tactical operation on the go at once, but with everything that was happening, we needed to sort through the higher risk items and go from there. Deputy Hawke, I think you're better to speak to what you saw.'

[E. Hawke]

'Uh, yeah...'

Didn't expect Wagner to volunteer me to speak up next but here we go.

'As we were nearing the field I elected to drive by it and stage a bit beyond it.  With the news about what happened in Selkirk earlier that day I just wanted to play it safe.  So when I drove by and peaked in I saw two vehicles in the middle of the field near the back trees right around there.'

Pointing to the location of the lot where the vehicles were I am a bit haunted that I can still picture them there.

'There was a pickup truck and an SUV parked bumper to bumper with roughly a couple feet between them.  They were parked in a manner that the broad side of the vehicle were facing us. The truck was in front of the SUV.  Outside of the vehicles were 3 men standing around them.  After informing Deputy Wagner what I saw Deputy Caldwell joined us and we came up with a plan of action and moved in.  My unit which was 207 at the time would go first, followed by 206 which was Wagner's unit, and Caldwell in 204 would come in behind us.  Right now where we're standing is where 206 was after we moved in so 207 would be parked just ahead of us and 204 behind us.  With us in position after moving in we got out and I called out to men.  That's when a 4th man came out from behind the SUV and lobbed the first of three explosives tossed at us that night.  That was the moment when the shootout really began.'

I think about directing the conversation to Caldwell but I opt not to.  He or anyone else can speak up.  Or we could move on to the next question.

[A. Sanchez]

'So when I got here the shootout was already in the heat of things.  Of the six here I was the last one to arrive and instead of rolling on up to where they were like the others did I parked my unit 100 feet away down the road.'

Not sure if I should speak but I do it anyways.  I motion with my arm and hands to the road and to the west to point where I came in.

'This is because I felt that attacking from the side would end it faster.  So grabbing my patrol rifle I crossed the field and went through the trees over there.  The treeline was only about 10 feet thick so didn't take me too long to get through.'

Swinging my arm around I point to the treeline to the right of us and to the back where I had taken up position that day.

'At that point there was a suspect on the ground between the treeline and the pickup truck.  Another one was down just behind the SUV.  The other 2 were shooting at the others from behind both vehicles in a pop out and then take cover manner.  Seeing that I just took cover behind a tree and returned fire.  They quickly returned fire towards me with the one behind the truck using the pickup's door for cover.  We were in trouble but thankfully that door wasn't bulletproof.'

[J. Wagner]

'Actually, Deputy Sanchez about got it right. We had to attack this. Law enforcement across the country has had to militarize, not necessarily to enforce laws, but to deal with threats like this. I can tell you, when I joined the Sheriff's Department, never had I imagined a firefight for my life in a field against some murderous terrorists. But we had to. We had to risk it all to make sure they didn't hurt anyone else. It was a warzone. Most everyone that night didn't leave in their own car, they left in the back of an ambulance. That speaks volumes about the risks we had to face that night. '

I pause, regaining composure. 

'James, I don't think any of us wanted to shoot anyone that night, we didn't want to be in a firefight, and as much as I'm glad they can never hurt another person, I would've rathered them spend the rest of their lives in a prison cell, paying for what they did. Deputy Sanchez probably saved my life that night. I don't think we could've taken this on alone.'

[J. Brady]

'James, I don't think any of us wanted to shoot anyone that night, we didn't want to be in a firefight, and as much as I'm glad they can never hurt another person, I would've rathered them spend the rest of their lives in a prison cell, paying for what they did. Deputy Sanchez probably saved my life that night. I don't think we could've taken this on alone.'

*As the deputies tell their stories about that night. I get ready for my next question*

'Now I understand there were a few injuries that night as well, Was it easy returning to work after?'

[M. Caldwell]

'Now I understand there were a few injuries that night as well, Was it easy returning to work after?'

*I feel this was aimed at me and Hawke so I speak up.*

'For me it was difficult coming back because it was a head injury, I was driving a white unmarked patrol car that night When one of them threw a bomb I remember my head hitting something and momentarily resting my head against the side. When my backup arrived I looked at the side of the car and it was red. Things got blurry after that but due to the fact that our backup was still pretty far out, Ricky, I mean deputy O'Reilly pulled me out of there. If it wasn't for him I would be dead.'

[E. Hawke]

'Well I didn't have much trouble returning to work but I also wasn't that bad off as Mike here.  My wounds were only a scrape on my shoulder when a bullet skimmed it and a fractured toe when the terrorists threw the second explosive device of the shootout.  The first one landed slightly behind Caldwell's unit but this one landed right next to me.  It didn't look that heavy so I decided to kick it away but it was heavier than it looks.  Still managed to kick it away pretty good.  It landed somewhere in the treeline separating the lot from the road.'

Looking at the treeline I just mentioned I spot the area where it had landed and went off.  Then I point to it.

'Right around there where the treeline is kind of thinning.  That's where it landed.  Anyways both wounds healed up relatively quickly and I was able to return to the job without any issues.'

[J. Wagner]

'Actually, I think, everything in perspective, we were all pretty lucky. Like I said, we were prepared that night, and I geared up in the tactical gear that I had with me. I felt the effects for a few weeks after, but our armour saved our lives, our livelihoods and probably the people of the county. It took some time until I was 100% and even still, I don't think any of us are completely back to normal, but something like this changes everyone.'

I think back to the medications we were all on, and the questionable texts from our head injured deputy here. Probably shouldn't mention commissioner papa on the air though.