Chapter 182

It was only a few moments later that a mobile command vehicle came to a stop at the scene. It was the biggest motor home conversion that I had ever seen. After it stopped, a lot of things happened. Outriggers deployed with warning bells and whistles. The entire side slid out like a motor home, and then a step came out at the door, antennas extended from the top along with a rack of cameras that were moving in every direction along with flood lights.

Four Ford Expedition SUVs screeched to a stop around and behind the unit with SWAT teams exiting from all of them. The lieutenant waved a gentleman over and asked me to repeat what I had told him. By now there were a dozen police officers in SWAT gear around Ching Lee, Vicky and me. I introduced myself and repeated that I was carrying and what we were doing here. I explained what had happened.

The news media was swarming around us. They had TV cameras on all of us. The police had to tell them to move back several times.

Captain Peters said, "I need your ID and permits, and I need to take custody of the weapon since it was used."

"My weapon was not fired; it never left the holster," I responded as I handed him my IDs and the permits. I removed my jacket and handed it to Vicky, then removed the shoulder rig I carried the Glock in. I wrapped the strap around the holster and handed it to the Captain and put my jacket back on.

The coroner arrived and started to check out the victim that tried to attack me. The coroner did a few preliminary checks then looked at the captain and said, "He was not shot, the larynx is crushed, but death was caused by the nasal bone penetrating the cerebral cavity, piercing the brain. I can tell more when I do the autopsy."

They took me into the command center to a very small room. I gave a statement that went from the beginning on our walk until I responded to the 911 operator and answered questions. The process was repeated three more times with three different interrogators. I was sure that Ching Lee and Vicky were getting the same treatment. Not once did anyone ask me if I wanted an attorney, so I assumed that I was not a criminal suspect in the case.

Three hours later they said that we were free to go but told to call before we left NY. The captain gave me a card with the number to call and returned my Glock. It was 11:30 when we finally made it to the meeting to join Mark, Cindy and Mary Ann, an hour and a half late.

Cindy was in the middle of one of the Power Points, we took a seat quietly and waited for her to finish. I apologized for being late to the meeting and asked Mark to continue. He finished his part and then the board broke for lunch. They had a catered lunch for all of us in one of the other rooms.

I took the time to call Marcy and then Jenny to give them an update on what had happened. Jenny said, "I will not be relieved until you are out of NY air space."

I had to fill the board and my group in on the events of the morning. I did not tell them that I had killed the man and that two others of the gang had been killed by the car as they ran across the road trying to come to his aid in the fight.