Sergeant's earlier statement had essentially clarified that this was not a terrorist attack. Typically, terrorist attacks aim to claim major casualties to make a statement or someone announces responsibility, but this school shooting clearly didn't fit either category. Chris and Jimmy could have just informed their superiors and left; the NYPD was more than capable of handling it. Even if they had left and more casualties occurred, it would not be their concern—at worst, they'd simply be criticized for incompetence or inaction.

But since they were already there, Jimmy didn't want to just stand by and watch. Who knew how long the NYPD and ESU would take? Regardless of the shooter's motives, staging a shooting at a school was exceedingly vile. Delaying any further could result in more unfortunate students.

Having reached the third floor, Jimmy signaled to the officer guarding the staircase, then crouched and began to stealthily approach the classroom.

Although he hadn't seen it firsthand, Jimmy had determined the situation inside the classroom: one student lay motionless on the floor, and nine others were huddled in the back left corner next to the exterior windows. There were no doors for escape. The shooter was in the middle of the room, holding a rifle. Right now, he was not pointing the gun at the students, but seemed to be on a call, pacing back and forth. From the front door, Jimmy didn't dare show his face, fearing discovery. The voice on the phone was too low; he couldn't make out what was being said from outside.

Looking back at Jimmy, the officer watched as Jimmy pressed against the wall, peeked once, and then quietly retreated. He motioned for the officer to stay quiet and then walked away slightly to dial Chris on his phone, "Chris, there's only one shooter and ten students inside, but someone's lying on the floor, I'm not sure if they're alive. Do you need me to handle this now? I'm worried if it drags on, the other students might be in danger."

Chris: "Are you confident? We absolutely cannot harm the students."

Jimmy: "Ensuring no collateral damage is hard. The shooter is standing in the center of the classroom. Shooting from the door, anyone has a good chance of hitting a student, ESU included. I can only promise to do my best to ensure their safety."

Chris thought for a moment: "Wait a moment." He ended the call with Jimmy and moved to a quieter place to call Hughes. Decisions about such matters still had to come from the boss. If something went wrong, it could lead to serious trouble.

Hughes also hesitated to give the order, but once he confirmed that ESU hadn't arrived yet, he made a decisive call to let Jimmy proceed.

When Chris called back, Jimmy took it as authorization, and although he had waited a few minutes and didn't know the current situation in the classroom, it made no difference to him.

He again approached the door quietly, holding the M686-1 revolver with both hands, continuously watching the shooter from behind the wall. The shooter had finished his call and was now pacing a small range, still holding the rifle but not aimed at the students or the classroom door.

Taking advantage of the moment when the shooter turned to face the front of the classroom, Jimmy suddenly darted to the doorway, raised his gun, and fired two shots—one to the chest, one to the head—while loudly shouting, "Hey!"

The shooter's reaction was quick; he had started to raise the rifle as Jimmy appeared at the door, but he never had the chance to fire. The power of the .357 Magnum was more than sufficient on a human head, entering directly through the forehead and leaving no possibility for resistance, he fell immediately.

The timing Jimmy chose ensured the shooter could not threaten the students in the corner. The moment he turned allowed Jimmy to fire without students directly behind the shooter.

This was crucial because the .357 Magnum could easily penetrate a head, and there was a high likelihood of hitting a student behind the shooter accidentally. With such a possibility, Jimmy could not risk complaints or even lawsuits.

As Jimmy fired, the students in the corner suddenly screamed. Some crouched down, while others prepared to run out of the classroom.

Jimmy shouted, "Everyone, be quiet." He raised the revolver with his right hand towards the ceiling and gestured for calm and silence with his left hand, but to little avail, as several students still ran to the front door and burst out, where the police stationed in the corridor, upon hearing the shots, had moved towards the classroom only to be pushed aside by the fleeing students.

Seeing that no one was listening to him, Jimmy simply yelled, "Everyone get out of the classroom, quickly, get out." He moved forward to where the gunman lay; the rifle had fallen from his hands but remained nearby because it was still slung over his body. Confirming the gunman was dead, Jimmy walked over to the student lying on the floor, who appeared to have been shot twice in the chest. Without physically checking, he knew from the blood pool that the delay by the police had ensured the worst.

After assessing the situation in the classroom, he called out, "The gunman is dead, send a paramedic in here; there's a student who needs immediate attention."

Then, holstering his revolver, he retrieved his cellphone and dialed Chris: "It's handled, no collateral damage."

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