Reed arrived on scene as standard protocol for fire and emergency calls. He was outside his patrol car when he saw two firemen fall to the ground. Reed notified 911 dispatch, and immediately retreated to to his vehicle to retrieve a patrol rifle.
Pickering said Reed then took cover behind a house and notified dispatch that the first responders were taking fire from an automatic weapon. He then fired six times at Spengler, who started to run across the berm nearby.
“The actions of officer Mark Reed directly impacted the decisions of the shooter,” Pickering said. “The shooter never anticipated an immediate police response to this fire. The shooter felt that he would have unchallenged opportunity to kill our firefighters.”