CAUGHT ON CAMERA: City Council Meeting Interrupted By Gunfire, Council Member Draws Firearm

NEW HOPE, MINNESOTA — In a tense situation yesterday at a New Hope City Council meeting, shots were fired directly following a swearing in ceremony of two new officers.

As the officers walked out of the chambers, they were met with gun fire from a man with a rifle, later identified as 68-year-old Raymond K. Kmetz. Two officers were hit and taken to the hospital, and both are expected to survive. The gunman was shot and killed by officers.

While these events were taking place outside the chambers, Council Member John Elder is seen on video (above) drawing his firearm and keeping it trained on the door while giving commands to others in the room to get down and take cover.

Elder was ahead of the game because he decides to carry a firearm with him, however he should have probably found better cover and concealment. I know, hindsight is 20/20 and I wasn’t there, but the image below reminds me of those games at the carnival where you try to hit the targets as they pop up.

Either way, the gunman never made it through the door because police eliminated the threat seconds after the first shot was fired. Elder seems to have kept a level head in the face of danger, and that’s an important element of surviving a shooting.